Reese Witherspoon says she had ‘panic attacks for three weeks’

The star earned an Oscar nomination for her performance, and is now opening up about the panic attacks she suffered because of it.

Reese Witherspoon is opening up about how a role affected her mental health.

The Oscar-winning actress, 45, recently spoke with Tracee Ellis Ross for Interview magazine and revealed that her starring role in the 2014 movie Wild had an intense impact on her as she was preparing to film.

“I was so scared to do that, Tracee,” Witherspoon said, noting that the role changed her more than any other. “I had hypnosis, I was so scared. I was having panic attacks for three weeks before I started.”

Wild is based on writer Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail and follows Witherspoon’s character as she embarks on a journey on the Pacific Crest Trail after getting divorced.

Reese Witherspoon revealed that she had ‘panic attacks for 3 weeks’ before filming ‘Wild.’ Picture: AFP

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“There was the nudity, sexuality, and drug-use aspect, but also being alone on camera with no other actors,” Witherspoon recalled. “I hadn’t ever been alone in scenes for days and days. There were probably 25 days of the shoot where I had no other actor opposite me.”

She added: “It was just me and a camera and a backpack. I was like, ‘Is this going to be so boring?’”

How cool to be @InterviewMag’s Summer Cover! 😎 AND to get to chat with the always brilliant @TraceeEllisRoss. Check out our interview on everything from chasing your dreams to cathartic cry sessions and why dancing in your kitchen is the best therapy. 📸: by @StevieDancepic.twitter.com/A5I6DdVvpT

— Reese Witherspoon (@ReeseW) June 15, 2021

The star said that she was also impacted by the “beautiful” book that the movie was based on “because it spoke to me so deeply about how we as women have to save ourselves.”

“There’s no mother or father coming to save us. There’s no spouse,” the Legally Blonde star continued. “I thought it was radical that at the end of the film, she ends up with no family, no money, no job, no partner, and she’s happy.”

Witherspoon earned an Oscar nod for her performance and has since then taken a handful of lighter roles before returning to drama for Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere and The Morning Show.

She’s also stepped behind the camera and become a juggernaut producer.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever work that hard again, but it changed me on a cellular level,” she admitted.

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Reese Witherspoon says she had ‘panic attacks for three weeks’