Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Wednesday Police Reports 10 things to know for Tuesday Measure 92 recount shows little change in Jackson County Ashland: Lions Club steps up for vision tests Education Ashland: Lions Club steps up for vision tests Ashland Rotary Student Youth of the Month: Avery Nicole Jesmer AHS arts festival is Friday AHS, SOU seek arts program director In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school Environment Home Help: Make your new house feel like home ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Don't like weather where you are? Move a mile or two Salmon: A force of nature can be restored Students nurturing nature Business Survey: Ashland is an affordable rental market Trio of local businesses close their doors Tourism in Ashland: The role of the Chamber’s Visitor & Convention Bureau Silvio Calabi: The world loves a Wrangler The sweet smell of soap-selling success Politics and elections Local rep to testify before U.S. Senate panel Tuesday Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Miller write-in campaign lands Ashland Parks and Rec seat Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls State News In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school GMO label measure, losing by 809 votes, headed for recount Resent ballots, late results likely to trigger GMO recount Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Death Notices Death Notices Marie B. (Aiken) Stella Demo Death Notices Sports Latest Stories Grizzlies get their groove back, crush Mustangs Aldridge passes Porter on Blazers' all-time scoring list in win Two Grizzlies make first-team all-state Atanda named All-America honorable mention Mariota named one of three Heisman finalists High school Grizzlies get their groove back, crush Mustangs Two Grizzlies make first-team all-state North Medford boys run away from Ashland with first-half surge SOU volleyball team's season ends with loss to Vanguard at nationals Southern Oregon roughed up by defending champs Southern Oregon University Two Grizzlies make first-team all-state Atanda named All-America honorable mention Mariota named one of three Heisman finalists Florida, here they come North Medford boys run away from Ashland with first-half surge Opinion Latest Stories Our View: 92 backers should move on Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point Granlund cartoon: CIA torture report Guest Opinion: Shelter is a basic human right Granlund cartoon: William and Barack Editorial Our View: 92 backers should move on Our View: Raiders are winners Our View: Celebrating more students Our View: A morning well spent Other Views: Tax reform won't be easy Letters Letters to the Editor, Dec. 8 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 4 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 3 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point Guest Opinion: Shelter is a basic human right Guest Opinion: Refugee children at our border Guest Opinion: Why giving market food vendors 'a break' is poor public policy Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them Revels Latest Stories Community blog: William Stafford: His Writing, His Life SOU presents all-percussion concert Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists 4 Things to do this Weekend At the movies Theater Meet the real Jacob Marley New design for Bricks takes shape Hard to keep a straight face with 'Red Noses' 'Red Noses' is a romp through slapstick and pathos 'The Drunken City': Bachelorettes meet bar-crawlers Music SOU presents all-percussion concert Peter Chianca: Top 40 songs even a dad could love The Farr Side: Different artists, common songs Longtime area musician Steve Read, 64, dies The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies At the movies Interview: Benedict Cumberbatch on playing ‘The Imitation Game’ Interview: Reese Witherspoon experiences life in 'The Wild' Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Citizenfour' is a matter-of-fact bore Food and Drink Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Remodeling your attic: Know the details before you start Lost in Suburbia: Row, row, row your basement Dear Monty: When a lawyer’s fee is four times higher than the quote 5 Things to Do This Weekend (Dec. 12-14) Dave Ramsey: Helping financially irresponsible brother stay on track Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Our View: 92 backers should move on ... Ashland Calendar ... Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point ... Our View: 92 backers should move on ... Ashland Calendar ... Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point ... Interview: Reese Witherspoon experiences life in 'The Wild' By Ed Symkus More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Ed Symkus More Content Now Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 7:50 am Updated Nov 28, 2014 at 8:39 AM By Ed Symkus More Content Now Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 7:50 am Updated Nov 28, 2014 at 8:39 AM » Social News When Reese Witherspoon first set eyes upon and quickly devoured Cheryl Strayed’s 2012 memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail,” she knew it was the right stuff for a movie. A young woman, empty, miserable, living a life with no direction, decides to do a solo hike, covering the 1,100 miles along the West Coast between Mexico and Canada, and comes out of the experience a profoundly changed person. The film adaptation, written for the screen by novelist Nick Hornby (“High Fidelity,” “About a Boy”) and directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (“Dallas Buyers Club”) had its title shortened to “Wild,” but it remains a bigger-than-life story. Witherspoon produced the sometimes grueling, ultimately uplifting film, and stars as Strayed. She spoke about the experience of making it at the Toronto International Film Festival. Q: What was it about the book that made you want to turn it into a film? A: My agent sent me the book. I read it within 24 hours and immediately called her back and said, “I don’t know who Cheryl Strayed is, but I have to talk to her. I feel like I’ve known her and I need to hug her.” So they got me her telephone number, and I called her. I already knew it was one of the most important books of my life. It’s about a beautiful journey to save yourself. I said to Cheryl, “If you give me the option to the book, I promise I will honor your life, and I will get the movie made and get it made quickly. I won’t let it languish around Hollywood.” She agreed to do it, and I was really fortunate. Q: The hike lasted three months, and the film goes for a feeling of reality. So you don’t exactly look like your usual glamorous self up there on the screen. A: Jean-Marc asked that all the mirrors be covered in the hair and makeup trailer and in my trailer. That was fine. When we were doing the hair and makeup tests, he said, “I want to make sure you don’t have your hair done and you don’t wear any makeup.” I said to him, “Well, how about just a little makeup? Like, mascara and a little cover up, like a no-makeup look.” And he said, “No. No makeup.” I said, “OK, I’m willing to try anything.” They showed me the dailies, and it was raw. I’d never seen myself like that in a movie. But if Cheryl could be brave enough to tell every part of her story, I had to be brave enough to throw away my vanity. Q: You appear to be struggling with your huge backpack in the film. Did it really weigh 75 pounds? A: When I first showed up on-set, I figured, “It’s a movie, they’ll just stuff newspaper in the back. It won’t be heavy. It’s no big deal.” But Jean-Marc immediately said, “Why does the backpack not look heavy on your back?” (laughs) So I said, “Well, because I’m gonna pretend that it’s heavy.” But he said, “No, no, it actually has to be heavy. I thought, “You’re kidding, this is a joke.” But it was great. Because it dug into my shoulders and it actually changed the way I walked, and my body got tired so quickly from carrying the thing. But after five and a half weeks of carrying it on my back, I got so used to it, it was like an appendage, and I really missed it when it was gone. Q: What did you end up learning about yourself from this experience? A: I learned what my body was capable of doing. I had a lot of fear before I started the film that I wasn’t going to be able to physically accomplish a lot of the things that Jean-Marc was going to want me to do. But I was able to do it, which was exciting. Moreover, I was really struck by what a universal experience it was for so many people who were connecting to the story, whether it was people on the crew or people who had read the book. Cheryl was on set a lot, and I was struck by how many women and men came up and told some part of their story to her. That was profound for me. Because when you read a book, it feels very personal to you, and I didn’t know if everybody was as interested in this material as I was. So it was really a revelation for me to see how far-reaching it was. Ed Symkus writes about movies for More Content Now. By Ed Symkus More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Ed Symkus More Content Now Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 7:50 am Updated Nov 28, 2014 at 8:39 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501