The 14 Best Reese Witherspoon Movie Characters

Sharp comedies, weighty dramas, and a few scene-stealers in between show off a remarkable range of roles. Which performance is your favorite?

1

Elle Woods

The relentlessly optimistic sorority-girl-turned-Harvard-lawyer in Legally Blonde.

1000pts

2

Madeline Mackenzie

The fierce, gossip-savvy mother in the Monterey drama Big Little Lies.

947pts

3

June Carter Cash

The country singer in Walk the Line, a role that won Witherspoon the Best Actress Oscar.

886pts

4

Bradley Jackson

The scrappy field reporter who rises to anchor in The Morning Show.

874pts

5

Vanessa Lutz

The streetwise teen in the dark Red Riding Hood thriller Freeway.

812pts

6

Becky Sharp

The cunning social climber of the period drama Vanity Fair.

812pts

7

Jennifer / Mary Sue

The teen transported into a black-and-white sitcom town in Pleasantville.

812pts

8

Annette Hargrove

The virtuous headmaster's daughter caught in a cruel wager in Cruel Intentions.

812pts

9

Rosita

The overburdened mother pig who finds her voice in the animated musical Sing.

812pts

10

Melanie Carmichael

The New York designer returning to her Southern roots in Sweet Home Alabama.

738pts

11

Elizabeth Masterson

The spirited doctor whose ghost shares an apartment in Just Like Heaven.

738pts

12

Tracy Flick

The ruthlessly ambitious overachiever in the dark comedy Election.

738pts

13

Cheryl Strayed

The grieving woman who hikes the Pacific Crest Trail in Wild.

738pts

14

Nicole Walker

The teenager drawn into a dangerous obsession in the thriller Fear.

541pts