Top Stories

Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Elizabeth Banks, & Eva Longoria Are Beyond Beautiful for 'EW'

Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Elizabeth Banks, & Eva Longoria Are Beyond Beautiful for 'EW'

Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Elizabeth Banks, and Eva Longoria take the cover of EW‘s issue to discuss issues they face every day in Hollywood.

Here’s what they had to share:

Kerry, on the pressures in Hollywood: “It reminds me of this line that Shonda Rhimes wrote on our show that has really resonated with African-Americans. It’s this idea you have to be twice as good to get half of what they have. It’s something that most black people I talk, when they heard that line, it completely resonated with how they were raised and the messaged their parents gave them. ‘That’s just the truth.’ I think it’s the same for women. You just know, you have to be twice as good. In a way, until girls don’t have that feeling, we will not have done our jobs. That’s almost the point: to not feel the pressure to be extraordinary.”

Reese, on deciding acting wasn’t enough: “About four years ago I got sent an awful, terrible script. And this male star was starring in it, and there was a girlfriend part. And I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. No, I’m not interested.’ They said, ‘Well this actress is chasing it, that actress is chasing it: three Oscar winners and two huge box office leading ladies.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, that’s where we’re at? You’re fighting to be the girlfriend in a dumb comedy? For what?’ And by the way, two Oscar winners did it.”

Eva, on social media: “I remember starting on Twitter. I loved the immediate way I could correct things. At the time there were just so may lies. It was stupid stuff, like ‘Eva’s pregnant, Eva’s pregnant, Eva’s pregnant.’ I’m like, ‘Guys, I ate a burger. I’m not pregnant’… because my mom would call!”

For more from the powerful women, visit EW.com.

Just Jared on Facebook
kerry washington ew cover 01