Reese Witherspoon revealed one of her biggest quirks.
As a speaker at the conference INBOUND 2023, Witherspoon discussed a range of topics, including rejection, friendship and her “beige flag,” which refers to each individual's oddest trait. Not a green flag and not a red flag, licensed psychotherapist Dr. Zoe Shaw told TODAY.com a beige flag is “something that simply makes you go, ‘Huh. What is that person doing?’”
When asked by NBC News Daily co-anchor Zinhle Essamuah what Witherspoon would consider her own “beige flag” to be, the actor thought for a moment before responding, “I will touch literally any bug or disgusting thing.”
“It freaks people out,” Witherspoon said. “If there’s bugs or weird things, I pick it up. I have a morbid fascination with bugs. It grosses people out. It’s weird and gross, I know. I can’t stop, it’s like a compulsion.”
Witherspoon said she blamed her brother, John, for her “beige flag,” adding, “I was a tomboy.”
The “Legally Blonde” star also spoke about this particular “beige flag” during an October 2019 interview with Natalie Portman for Harper’s Bazaar, when she was photographed with several creatures including a spider, snake, beetles and mouse.
After Portman asked Witherspoon if she was afraid to have her photo taken with a spider on her face, the actor replied, “The spider didn’t scare me, but there was a snake at the photo shoot that did.”
“This is going to sound weird, but I like insects and spiders,” she added. “I was kind of a tomboy growing up. It grosses everybody out, but I like to pick up bugs.”
While she’s not bothered by bugs, she did reveal what she's actually afraid of, telling Portman, “I get scared of being on really tall buildings and looking down.”
Witherspoon is also not afraid of other people’s opinions of her.
During her panel at INBOUND, Witherspoon reflected on the rejections she has faced throughout her career, telling Essamuah, “I started so young and rejection was such an early piece of my life that I learned a long time ago that other people’s opinions of me are none of my business.”
“Everyone’s going to have an opinion of you, she added. “It shouldn’t make a difference whether or not you show up. It shouldn’t dictate your mood. And it’s so hard to teach children this in particular, but I’ve had teenagers, and I’d be like ‘Who cares what they think of you?’ and they’re like, ‘I’m 15. That’s all I think about is how people think about me.’”
Witherspoon added, “But you do get older, and I’m sure everyone here has had a moment where you start to realize, I really don’t care what anybody thinks about me.”
After revealing her “beige flag” with the audience, Witherspoon also shared her advice for maintaining friendships while balancing a busy schedule.
“Editing. Edit your friendships,” she said simply. “Everybody out here over 40 knows. If you aren’t adding to my life, get the heck out of my life.”
Witherspoon also cited a piece of advice given to her by her grandmother: “People are either radiators or drains. Stick around the radiators, and get rid of the drains.”