Yellowstone Star Wants To Reunite With Reese Witherspoon

By Jennifer Asencio | Updated

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Josh Lucas may now be the face of the younger John Dutton on Yellowstone, but once he was the love interest of Reese Witherspoon in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama. The movie is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, prompting its stars to reminisce about its production and plot. Entertainment Tonight caught up with Josh Lucas and got his thoughts about working with Reese Witherspoon.

The plot of the 2002 movie follows a young woman, Melanie Smooter, who returns to her rural Alabama roots to secure her divorce before re-marrying in New York. Josh Lucas plays the man she married as a teenager, and Reese Witherspoon plays Smooter who has become a successful New York fashion designer. Since the romance in the movie centers around them, they had to work very closely together.

Lucas has expressed his interest in doing a sequel together and says he has even campaigned with Reese Witherspoon to agree. However, the actress has also been busy with her own projects, including her leading role on Apple TV’s The Morning Show and her production company, Hello Sunshine. She has produced five titles in 2022 and has another eight upcoming, including a rumored Legally Blonde 3.

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Josh Lucas and Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

While Josh Lucas has also been busy since Sweet Home Alabama, his turn with Reese Witherspoon is still one of his best-known roles. His rugged good looks and Southern charm are not out of place on the Montana ranch in Yellowstone, and he has made his mark in other films like Ford vs. Ferrari and The Forever Purge. In addition to Yellowstone, he also currently appears in the Spectrum Originals basketball drama Long Slow Exhale.

The actor also says he predicted what a powerhouse his former leading lady would be. Josh Lucas said in the interview that during filming Sweet Home Alabama, he noticed qualities in Reese Witherspoon that he speculated would lead her to run her own studio. More than being a great actress with the great timing she exhibited in Election and Legally Blonde was an intelligence and business acumen that he says he found compelling.

“If you look at what she’s doing, she’s become a mogul,” Josh Lucas said of Reese Witherspoon now. It’s certainly true that between acting and producing, she has become one of Hollywood’s recognizable names and faces with some prestige of her own from her accomplishments. Her production credits include the HBO show Big Little Lies and she was also a producer on Oscar-nominated Gone Girl.

Witherspoon had her own comments about working on Sweet Home Alabama, both in honor of its anniversary and because of a connection between that movie and her current production, Something From Tiffany’s. Before her character reconnects with Josh’s Lucas’s in Sweet Home Alabama, there is a scene with Reese Witherspoon and Patrick Dempsey that takes place inside the famous jewelry store. The actress reminisced on how exciting it was to film among the exclusive merchandise.

While there may not be a return to Alabama to reconnect with Josh Lucas and Reese Witherspoon’s characters, there is still plenty of content for viewers to indulge themselves with. Yellowstone seasons 1 through 4 can be seen on Peacock, and the current season is unfolding on Paramount Network. Something From Tiffany’s is currently on Amazon Prime.