NEWSReese: I Have Hope
Nov. 20 2008, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
With a highly-publicized divorce from Ryan Phillippe behind her and a new romance with Jake Gyllenhaal watched every step of the way, it's a wonder that Reese Witherspoon can remain so clear-headed when it comes to men.
'Do I need men?” she muses in an interview on Parade.com, “I don’t think it’s about needing men. It’s about love.
“Everybody needs love,” she adds. “Everyone deserves it.”
And after ending one marriage, the Four Christmases star is bound to be a little bit cagey when it comes to the topic of tying the knot with new beau Jake.
“Family is all we have in life, but I don’t know how I feel about marriage,” she tells me. “Obviously, I’m not far enough out of being married to think about doing it again. You sort of reconstitute your family. You find a family with people who come into your life for a reason."
Throughout the events of the last year, while sharing care of her children with Ryan, Reese has maintained strong, and admits that even after heartbreak, she's still able to believe in the power of affection.
“I definitely still have a capacity to love,” she reveals. “Someone said to me once, ‘No matter what breakup you went through or what new love you find — the love you remember, like the love you now value, is yours. Whatever love you once gave to somebody else, it doesn’t go away. Even if it is only remembered love, it belongs to you.’
“Things change,” she says, “but your ability to love remains intact. Oh, I have a lot of hope for love! I do!”
