Reese Witherspoon stars in two films screening at the Dubai International Film Festival, Wild and The Good Lie. The Oscar winner chats to about her new films, living in the public eye and mixing glamour with grit.
Many actors experience a career slump after an Oscar win, but the Academy Award-winner Reese Witherspoon is being hotly tipped to double her statuette collection with her new film Wild, which is screening at the Dubai International Film Festival. Witherspoon produced the film and stars as a young woman who treks the 3,000-mile Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), alone, to come to terms with her past and find a direction for her future. It's the latest in a recent string of strong performances from the Tennessee, including the upcoming The Good Lie and Mud, co-starring Matthew McConaughey.
Wild looks like the sort of film that would be very tough to shoot, did you do much physical preparation for it?
None. Cheryl enters into the story having had no experience, so it wouldn’t have helped me to have any experience of it. We wanted as authentic a representation as possible, that was really important to Jean-Marc [Vallee, the director] and to me. So, I had the real weight Cheryl had [in her backpack], and that was me really trying to assemble the tent in the movie.
The woman you are portraying, Cheryl Strayed, was on set for a lot of the shoot – was that a help or a hindrance to your performance?
A help, definitely. I was nervous that I would be able to do justice to her story, because the book is so powerful and personal, which was the reason we all got involved in the first place. But we talked so much from the beginning, trying to get across who she was then and now, it was very collaborative in that way. So much so that it didn’t feel intimidating to have her there, because she was so supportive. She knew how hard everyone had worked to make sure we honoured the book, and her journey.
Do you think you could have taken the type of journey Cheryl takes in the film?
Well, there’s an emotional and physical journey. The PCT … I think what she did was tough but what blew me away was that she was alone. That would be hard, facing this enormous physical task but also being mostly alone for all that time.
You're also a producer on this film, as you were with the international hit Gone Girl – is working behind the camera as important to you as working in front of the camera?
It’s just another part of the creative process. I enjoy it very much, but I couldn’t say more or less than acting. They’re different disciplines with their own rewards. With producing you can choose the projects that inspire you, and help those stories get told.
Finally, you also star in The Good Lie, about an American who helps four Sudanese refugees come to America. It’s another powerful film, also based on real life. Are these the types of films you are interested in making – as opposed to lighter comedies you’ve made in the past?
You know, I was just very lucky that these two scripts came along, with really great directors and based on two remarkable stories.
If I make films like this in the future I’ll be very happy, but I’m not ruling anything out.
• Wild screens during the Dubai International Film Festival in Madinat Arena on Wednesday, December 17 at 4pm.
• The Good Lie screens during the Dubai International Film Festival at Madinat Arena on Saturday, December 13 at 9pm and in Mall of the Emirates 7 Monday, December 15 at 4.45pm.
artslife@thenational.ae
SPECS
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Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
RESULTS
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Elvis
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At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
