Reese Witherspoon tells what she’s learned from Elle Woods, June Carter Cash, her other characters

MUMBAI — Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon has expressed her gratitude for playing some iconic characters and says she wants to remind other women that they can be anything they want to be.

Witherspoon, who has been named in the annual "100 Most Beautiful" issues of People magazine four times, shared a series of memorable characters she has played over three decades in cinema on Instagram.

She wrote in the caption: “Some of the moments I’m most grateful for are the ones where I get to play these characters and remind other women that they can be anything they want to be.”

The actress shared a carousel of images, which initially had a text overlay reading: “What I’ve learned from playing these women.”

Witherspoon first posted a picture of her character Elle Woods from the Legally Blonde franchise, created by Amanda Brown in her 2001 novel of the same name.

The text read: “Elle Woods - You don't have to change who you are to be taken seriously.”

She then shared a picture of her Walk the Line character, June Carter Cash. The biographical drama is based on two autobiographies by the American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash: Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words and Cash: The Autobiography.

“Live your life on your own terms...even when it's not easy,” she wrote.

She then talked about her character Tracy Flick from the 1999 satirical black comedy Election and wrote: “People will have a lot to say about you, but always work hard and go after what you want.”

Witherspoon learned that “you can be completely broken, and still find your way back to yourself”, from her 2014 film “Wild” character Cheryl Strayed.

Then comes Madeline Mackenzie from the series Big Little Lies, played by Witherspoon.

“At some point, you realize you don't have to be perfect to be happy,” she wrote.