Reese Witherspoon found an ally in anxiety for her success

Los Angeles, Nov 3 The Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon feels that she found growth in the most unexpected avenue.

The actress has attributed her decades of success in Hollywood to a rather surprising source, anxiety, reports ‘The Independent UK’.

The 49-year-old star, who is set to receive a cultural icon award this week, admitted she was "rewarded" for her perfectionism but is now learning to embrace a more relaxed approach to life and work.

She told Harper’s Bazaar UK, "I was probably successful because I had so much anxiety, they go hand in hand”.

She elaborated on the intense scrutiny she placed on herself, as she said, "I had pressured myself to extreme levels to show up at work in a perfect way. We all know, perfect is not attainable. It’s not sustainable”.

She acknowledged that this drive propelled her far, as she shared, "I stressed myself out in service of my job, and it got me really, really far. I’m rewarded for my anxiety and perfectionism, but I’m getting older and am starting to relax into the idea that I’m enough”.

As per ‘The Independent UK’, the actress, who was born in March 1976 in Louisiana, also recalled the early days of her career and the cultural differences she encountered.

She went on, "Those at the beginning of my career were incredibly encouraging, but also gave me a lot of real-world advice about how to behave, how to carry myself, what not to do: not to move to Los Angeles. They said, ‘stay in Nashville, be a child for as long as you possibly can’. I was really friendly and bubbly and smiley. People thought I was faking it”.

She felt an outsider in the industry, as she said, "The perception of being from the South was that I didn’t belong to the coastal-elite communities. I wasn’t part of the art world, or the cool-kid club. It was a culture clash. I didn’t understand the sharp elbows and competitive nature of what I did”.

As she approaches her 50th birthday next year, Witherspoon expressed a positive outlook on ageing. She added, "I like getting older. I think it’s great to be wiser and understand your place in a business”.

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