In the Season 2 premiere of "Big Little Lies," Reese Witherspoon meets Meryl Streep's character who immediately tells her, "You're very short." Streep backtracks from first saying she didn't mean the comment in a negative way and then says, "I find little people to be untrustworthy." Though the characters are fictional, Streep was at least telling the truth about how Witherspoon is shorter than others in the HBO drama — Nicole Kidman is 5'11", and Streep is 5'6". In fact, Witherspoon is quite short compared to many other actors. In a since-deleted Instagram post (via NPR), Witherspoon shared a photo with her 5'10" co-star Laura Dern and clarified she is 5'2" tall.
Witherspoon has been used to dealing with adversity directed at her height from a young age. When starting out as an actor, she quickly learned to "be focused and tough because it takes a tenacious personality to deal with rejection," per the Daily Mail. Specifically, "When I first came here (to L.A.), all I heard was, 'No, not right – not tall enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough.' But I didn't really care about their opinions. I'm stubborn," Witherspoon explained. Then, as a Hollywood star, "I learned to accept my body for what it is," she told InStyle. This was especially true in fashion choices when Witherspoon discovered that while someone else may have a stunning outfit, "I'm only 5 foot 2; it will not look that good on me."
