Reese Witherspoon Says Filmmaking Will “Change Radically” As Attention Spans Shift: “You’ve Got To Go Where The Audience Is”
Reese Witherspoon sees a major shift coming in the way movies are made, and she thinks Hollywood has no choice but to adapt. In a new interview with The New York Times tied to the fourth season of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show, Witherspoon opened up about how changing audience habits and the rise of artificial intelligence will reshape storytelling.
The actress and producer pointed to younger generations as a big driver of change, especially her own Gen Z kids. Over the summer, she even launched a Gen Z-focused label within her Hello Sunshine company to explore new ways of reaching that audience.
“I noticed my kids weren’t going to the movies. I had teenage kids. I went to the movies every Friday and Saturday night. Kids don’t go to the movies. Usually people are seeing one movie a year in the theaters with their kids.
“You’ve got to go where the audience is, not lament the fact that they didn’t show up or have what I call ‘old-school-itis,’ which is like, Well, in my day.
“Well, it just doesn’t work that way! Attention spans are shifting. The way we make movies is going to change radically in the next two to three years.”
When asked if AI is part of that shift, the Legally Blonde star didn’t hesitate:
“Mmm-hmm. Everybody knows it. You just have to understand how it’s going to happen. Because we still have to layer our consciousness on top of it, and use it as tools. Otherwise it’s just a runaway train.”
This isn’t the first time Witherspoon has voiced these thoughts. In a recent Glamour cover story with her Morning Show co-stars, she doubled down on the importance of adapting to evolving media landscapes.
“I’m a very hard worker, and I like to change and adapt to new structures and new environments. I’m always looking forward to how media is evolving and how I can help be part of bringing women along in those emerging industries. And now we’re doing it with AI.
“It’s so, so important that women are involved in AI … because it will be the future of filmmaking. And you can be sad and lament it all you want, but the change is here.
“It will never be a lack of creativity and ingenuity and actual physical manual building of things. It might diminish, but it’s always going to be the highest importance in art and in expression of self.”
The industry continues to wrestle with both the possibilities and ethical challenges that come with AI-driven storytelling, but there’s no stopping it.
Witherspoon, though, is clear on where she stands, the industry must evolve with its audience and embrace new tools, or risk being left behind.