NEWSReese Witherspoon Has Been 'Helping' Pal Natalie Portman 'Navigate Some Uncharted Waters' Amid Her Divorce From Benjamin Millepied
The source claimed Reese Witherspoon and Natalie Portman would even be friends if they 'were just suburban housewives.'
Reese Witherspoon stood by Natalie Portman's side throughout the latter's bumpy split from ex Benjamin Millepied.
According to a source, the Legally Blonde alum, 48, and the May December star, 43, have developed a beautiful friendship due to their respective divorces.
Reese Witherspoon has been 'putting in work to coax Natalie out of her shell a little bit' after the divorce, according to the source.
“Natalie would not be recommending books on social media without Reese’s encouragement and the example of Reese’s own super-successful book club,” the insider said of how Witherspoon has helped boost Portman’s newfound joy.
“It’s also been a weird coincidence that their marriages fell apart basically during the same period, and when the writing was on the wall for Natalie that she and Ben were through, Reese is one of the people who stepped up to be supportive of Natalie behind the scenes, helping her navigate some uncharted waters,” the source added, referencing the end of the Big Little Lies actress’ marriage to Jim Toth in 2023.
“You sometimes hear Natalie make these remarks about how hard it is to create lasting friendships in Hollywood and how competitive being a leading lady in your forties can be,” the confidante continued. “It’s a bit self-pitying though, because Natalie has made a lot of actress friends over the years and especially in the last five years, Reese has been someone putting in work to coax Natalie out of her shell a little bit, just because they have so much in common.”
Reese Witherspoon and Natalie Portman's 'marriages fell apart basically during the same time period,' the source said.
The Black Swan lead and her ex, 47, fell in love in 2009 while working on the movie together. The pair tied the knot in 2012 and share kids Aleph, 13, and Amalia, 7. News of Millepied’s infidelity broke in May 2023, and the couple filed for divorce that July.
“There are reams of common ground between them beyond just their divorces: they were both star students and child actors; they both are super-involved moms; and they are both incredibly close to their extended families outside of show business,” the source noted of Portman and Witherspoon’s connection.
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- Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon Have Helped Each Other Through 'Heartbreaks' After Respective Divorces
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Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied filed for divorce in July 2023.
“It’s tempting to think that Reese forged this friendship with her producer hat on in the hopes of luring Natalie into one of her Hello Sunshine productions, but I believe these two would be even closer friends if they were just suburban housewives and didn’t have these hot, long-lasting careers,” they shared, referencing the blonde beauty’s media company.
The insider even noted how Witherspoon has inspired Portman to reignite her career efforts.
Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied share kids Aleph, 13, and Amalia, 7.
“Natalie has recently gotten back into producing after a long hiatus and you can chalk that up, at least in part, to the incredible run Reese has had since Big Little Lies. She’s shown Natalie a way forward in this business that has made a real difference for her!” the source raved.
Life & Style reported on Witherspoon and Portman's friendship.
