''To this day, I genuinely don't know if they had a relationship,'' offers Rendition director Gavin Hood, who first met Witherspoon at the 2006 Academy Awards (the South African filmmaker was picking up a statue of his own, for Tsotsi). ''But I can promise you that Reese and Jake were never together on the set. All of Jake's scenes took place in Morocco and all Reese's in L.A. The only time they crossed paths — when the paparazzi caught them — was on the way into a wardrobe fitting. Maybe some chemistry happened as they passed in the parking lot that day — I don't know. All I can say is that she was absolutely focused when it came to making the movie.''
Discipline has never been a problem for Witherspoon. This, after all, is an actress who named her own company Type A Productions. (''Sometimes I wish I had called it Breezy Pictures,'' she grumbles when asked about it.) ''You meet a lot of people who have lists of things they say they're going to do,'' notes Peter Sarsgaard, who costars in Rendition as an old flame trying to help Witherspoon's character. ''But Reese doesn't just make the list. She actually does what's on it. That you don't see very often.''
''I've been to those marketing meetings where they talk about your approval ratings, who likes you and who doesn't,'' Witherspoon says, pinching her forehead at the memory. ''But I don't pay them much attention. The way I choose things is not that studied. I just try to make films that make me feel good.'' As lunch plates are removed, Witherspoon opens up a fraction more. ''Honestly,'' she says, ''nothing has really changed. I still feel like I did when I first left my parents' house. I'm still not sure what I can afford. I still call up my accountant if I want to rent a beach house for a weekend. I'll call and ask him, 'Can I afford that?'''
Yeah, she can afford that. In fact, at this point in her career, she can afford to do pretty much anything she wants in Hollywood. She might even get away with wearing pants to the Polo Lounge.
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