Reese Witherspoon To Portray The Scariest Reality TV Star?

Judge Judy says her pick for an actress to play her in a biopic is Reese Witherspoon.

By Jonathan Klotz | Updated

Reese Witherspoon is Judge Judy’s choice to portray the famous reality TV star if her life life story ever makes it to the big screen. E! News got the answer from the famous television judge on their November 16th episode. Judge Judy Sheridan has no immediate plans for a big screen biopic, but the Legally Blonde star was her quick answer.

Reese Witherspoon and Judge Judy are long-time friends, explained one of the most famous faces on daytime TV. The Judge also thinks that Witherspoon is a fantastic actress and would be able to do her justice on the silver screen. Judge Judy did temper her response that at the moment she does not want a biopic on her life, meaning such a project would be far in the future if it ever did come to fruition.

The Legally Blonde star, with her past experience playing lawyer Elle Woods, could pull off the one-time real-life lawyer Judy Sheridan. Reese Witherspoon as Judge Judy would likely be more dramatic than the comedic franchise, but The Morning Show star has demonstrated serious acting chops. If this project ever happens, it also would not be the first time Witherspoon has depicted a real person in a biopic.

reese witherspoon the morning show
Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde (2001)

Reese Witherspoon’s Judge Judy depiction might win the actress another set of awards, just as her portrayal of June Carter did in 2004’s Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. That role earned the actress an Oscar and a Golden Globe, while Joaquin Phoenix won a Golden Globe for his role as Johnny Cash. At the time, the role was seen as a stretch for the actress after her breakthrough roles in Legally Blonde and Sweet Home Alabama threatened to led to romantic comedy typecasting.

Reese Witherspoon and Judge Judy’s long-standing friendship has its roots in the way each woman started out their respective careers. Just as Reese’s later roles showed a different side of the actress, Judge Judy Sheindlin had to overcome preconceived notions during her rise as an iconic reality TV star. Originally a corporate lawyer for a cosmetics firm, in 1982 New York City Mayor Ed Koch appointed Judy to the bench as a criminal court judge.

Judge Judy’s long-running show ended after 25 years on July 23rd, 2021. The end of the show, and sale of the extensive back catalog, has led to a civil lawsuit but the Judge continues to move forwards with a new series, Judy Justice, on Amazon Freevee. Reese Witherspoon, like Judge Judy, has recently also pivoted to streaming services for her recent projects.

The Cruel Intentions star produced and starred in The Morning Show for AppleTV, while executive producing another show for the streaming service, Truth Be Told, starring Octavia Spencer. Following her early streaming success, Witherspoon co-starred in the adaptation Little Fires Everywhere for Hulu. Reese Witherspoon and Judge Judy have both made names for themselves in front of, and behind, the TV camera for decades making Judy’s choice a remarkable pick that might one day become a reality.