The struggle is real on the set of Big Little Lies. With Season 2 of the hit HBO show in full production mode, there is some mounting tension between Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep. Sources exclusively told In Touch that Reese, Meryl, and their co-stars Nicole Kidman, Zoë Kravitz, and Laura Dern were seen having dinner together. And while that seems incredibly normal for actresses working on the same show to do, the eyewitness said Reese was "really unfriendly" to everyone at the table.
Not only did she seem stuck up, but she also acted like she was the star of the show. "I could tell Reese thinks she wears the pants," the insider revealed. "There's definitely a power struggle between them."
This news is shocking, but also bizarre because the story — for those who have yet to watch or read the book that it's based on — actually has more than one main star. It follows the lives of five women played by Reese, Laura, Nicole, Zoë, and Shailene Woodley as they try to raise their children in an ultra-rich California town. Meryl hopped on the project just recently to play the mother of Nicole's character's late husband.
Reese, who originally optioned the show, wanted to sign on as an executive producer because of the female-driven dynamic. "So often I'm the only woman on a set full of men," she told People. "It became this really interesting group of women whose work I'd always loved. Getting to work with them every day was a pleasure." Because Reese has been behind the project from the get-go, might be a bit of insight as to why she feels like she is in charge.
However, to have this power struggle is unfortunate because of how Reese started her journey on Big Little Lies with women empowerment in mind. And she was even excited about Meryl coming on board when she first heard the news.
"I called Nicole and I was like, 'Is this real life? Is this really happening?' And then I got off the phone with Nicole and I, like, hugged myself gently for a minute," she explained on Late Night with Seth Meyers. "And said, 'This is really happening. You're really working with Meryl Streep.'" It's unclear what went wrong, but it looks like Reese's opinions have changed.
