Reese Witherspoon 'Wild' Movie Role Earned Back Her Status in the Hollywood Acting Stratosphere

Reese Witherspoon might not have been within the awards spotlight after she won the Academy Best Actress award in her portrayal of June Carter for Walk the Line, but her recent film Wild, had proven she's back in the game.

The Legally Blonde actress was recently nominated for the 2^nd time around for her critically acclaimed movie, Wild. The actress starred and produced the film which garnered a lot of nominations from award giving bodies.

The first time the 38-year-old actress was nominated for an Oscar was also the first time she won the award. She will be competing against Marion Cotillard, Rosamund Pike, Felicity Jones and Julianne Moore in the upcoming Academy Awards on February 22.

Filming for Wild, was grueling and emotional. Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed in a film adaptation of Strayed's book, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.

The film's synopsis reads: In 1995, Cheryl Strayed decides to hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone, as a way to heal herself, following her divorce, the death of her mother, and years of reckless, destructive behavior.

According to Irish Times, Witherspoon explains that she was emotionally moved with Strayed's story, "I was so moved by the idea that it's okay to forgive yourself. As an artist, you want and hope to work on something profound. And Wild covered so many big themes and life issues: grief and loss, sex and drugs, and saying goodbye to someone you love."

"It was so emotionally honest. Cheryl talked about things like she was talking to one of her closest friends."

Aside from this, the New Orleans-born actress is also the producer of the critically acclaimed film, Gone Girl. Coincidentally she is pitted against the female lead, Rosamund Pike in the Best Actress category. The role of Amy Dunne was supposed to be acted by Witherspoon but director David Fincher wanted Pike to take the lead giving Witherspoon a way to act as the film's producer.