Reese Witherspoon has revealed she never quite understood why women in James Bond movies were always wearing bikinis – and says it helped inspire her new thriller.
The Oscar-winning actress, 49, grew up watching 007 films because her dad was a huge fan, but even as a child she found herself questioning the logic behind the skimpy swimwear.
‘Growing up, I always saw James Bond movies, my dad was obsessed with them, but I was like, why are the girls all in bikinis, and I don’t understand what that’s got to do with solving the crime,’ she told BBC News.
The Morning Show actress said that was one reason she wanted her debut novel to centre on a woman known for her intelligence and skill.
Her first adult fiction book, Gone Before Goodbye, co-written with bestselling author Harlan Coben, follows Maggie, a gifted surgeon caught up in a deadly conspiracy.
‘If I was going to do a thriller, I wanted the woman to be at the centre of it,’ Witherspoon explained.
‘I wanted her to have a unique skillset everybody in the world wanted, but she didn’t even realise it, and that she doesn’t have to shoot guns or punch bad guys. She’s actually just very smart and very intuitive and an incredible surgeon.’
The actress admits she had a few doubts when she started writing. ‘Part of me was worrying, “Oh God, why did I do this?”‘ she said. ‘But I also felt excited to see my idea come to life.’
Witherspoon, who also runs the hugely influential Reese’s Book Club, added that she’s most curious about how fellow writers will respond. ‘I have so much reverence for authors,’ she said.
Born in New Orleans to a doctor father and a nurse mother, Witherspoon says her parents’ careers helped shape the story.
‘I grew up in a medical military family and I grew up on a military base, so I was surrounded by other mums and dads who were medical military people,’ she said. ‘There was this sense of service, and that what they were doing was an important service to humanity, but also to their country.’
Asked whether her own setbacks inspired her protagonist, Witherspoon said: ‘I think every great story has a character who is taken to their knees. We just happen to start the story with her on her knees. It was a great place to start because it can really only go up from there.’
For her, it’s about redefining what strength looks like on screen and on the page. ‘Skills are more important than sex and violence,’ she said – something even James Bond might want to take note of.
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