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Reese Witherspoon Hoping to Mentor Selena Gomez After Working With Taylor Swift on ‘Crawdads’
Reese Witherspoon is swooning over Selena Gomez and looking to mentor her as an actress and producer – after pumping the brakes on previous ambitions to partner up with Taylor Swift.
“Reese has been one of a handful of producers who has been vying to have a hand in Taylor Swift’s impending push into producing and directing feature films in Hollywood, but she’s also, at heart, a realist,” a source who has worked closely with Reese, 48, and her Hello Sunshine media company exclusively tells Life & Style. “Yes, she and Taylor had a nice hit and collaboration with Taylor’s musical contribution to Reese’s movie Where The Crawdads Sing, but it’s become clear to Reese that an ongoing business relationship with Taylor on her Hollywood projects may be a bridge too far.”
Reese previously revealed that the “Karma” artist, 34, was so inspired by the Delia Owens novel, that she “wrote a song specifically for [the] movie.” Taylor’s song “Carolina” was included in the film.
The insider went on to say, “You do business with Taylor and she needs to call every single shot, but Selena has really proven she can collaborate, be part of a team, and play against people’s expectations when a project calls for that,” calling a collab with Selena “much more practical.”
The Sweet Home Alabama star gushed about Selena, 31, earlier this year at the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. “Your new song and video, so good,” she told the “Love You Like a Love Song” artist. “You look happy,” she added, according to red carpet footage shared via X after the January event.
“Reese’s focus is on the next generation of talent and how to weave that generation into her plans for new projects,” the source adds. “But the key to all of this is flexibility, which Selena has demonstrated in spades and which is simply not a priority for Taylor, for better or worse. The bottom line is that Reese has recognized that Taylor is going to wind up being one of her competitors and not a collaborator going forward.”
Selena, who got her start at a young age with roles such as Barney before landing the lead on Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place, has become a triple threat after branching into singing and business.
With Grammy, Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG award nominations under her belt, the former child star is also the founder and owner of Rare Beauty, a cosmetic company that aims to “break down unrealistic standards of perfection.”
