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Charlie Rose takes to the trail to talk about "Wild"

If Reese Witherspoon invites you on a hike, perhaps think twice before saying "yes."

After all, Witherspoon is the coproducer and star of the new movie "Wild," about a woman who treks through the wilderness for 94 days, covering 1,100 miles of rough terrain.

Fortunately, Witherspoon had a tamer plan for Charlie Rose when the two met up for his 60 Minutes interview. They took a stroll atop a canyon in Beverly Hills and talked about the movie, which is based on a true story by Cheryl Strayed.

Charlie says that on their walk, Witherspoon described some of the toughest parts of the "Wild" shoot:

REESE WITHERSPOON: It was freezing. And I had the 65 pound backpack.

CHARLIE ROSE: Yeah, this is the monster...

REESE WITHERSPOON: ... monster on my back. You know, when we started the movie, I was, like, "Oh yeah, I'm just gonna stuff it full of newspaper." And Cheryl was on set, and she was, like--

CHARLIE ROSE: No.

REESE WITHERSPOON: "It doesn't look heavy enough." So they ended up loading it full of props and things. And I had to carry it the whole time.

Witherspoon's role in "Wild" has already received a lot of Oscar buzz, and Charlie thinks the film could cause a significant shift in her career. "These kinds of roles have been career-changing roles for other actresses and could very well be for her," Charlie tells 60 Minutes Overtime.


The following is a script of the video produced for 60 Minutes Overtime by Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson and Lisa Orlando.

[Reese Witherspoon: Cheryl pointed this out to me. There's a difference between a hiker and a backpacker. And I was probably never, never, ever a backpacker.]

This week on 60 minutes, Charlie Rose interviews actress Reese Witherspoon about her latest movie, "Wild." She is on screen in almost every scene and is also a producer.

["Wild"

Cheryl: I'm nowhere near ready.]

The film is based on the best-selling memoir by Cheryl Strayed. It's the story of Strayed's 94-day solitary hike through the Pacific Crest Trail to mourn the loss of her mother.

[Charlie Rose: What's she looking for?]

[Reese Witherspoon: Peace. I mean, she had gone to the depth of her misery, grief over her mother, divorce, drug use, sex with everyone. She was, literally, in pieces and she had to put herself back together.]

Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson: Charlie, at one point you go on a hike...

Charlie Rose: Yes, we did.

Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson: ...with her. Was there anything revealing about that trek?

Charlie Rose: What's revealing about the trek was it reminded me of what she went through to perform in this role.

[Reese Witherspoon: It was freezing. And I had the 65 pound backpack...]

[Charlie Rose: Yeah, this is the monster.]

[Reese Witherspoon: Monster on my back. You know, when we started the movie, I was, like, "Oh yeah, I'm just gonna stuff it full of newspaper." And Cheryl was onset and she was, like...]

[Charlie Rose: No.]

[Reese Witherspoon: "It doesn't look heavy enough."]

[Film slate: Marker!]

[Reese Witherspoon: So they ended up loading it full of props and things. And I had to carry it the whole time.]

Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson: For someone who's so used to the Hollywood glamor, there is nothing glamorous...

Charlie Rose: No makeup in this part for her I'm told.

[Reese Witherspoon: Everything I'd ever had in a movie to hide behind, I had-- there was nowhere to hide.]

["Wild"

Cheryl: God, I miss you.]

[Charlie Rose: This could be the kind of role in which someone goes outside of their comfort zone and these kinds of roles have been career-changing roles for other actresses and could very well be for her. She had a good career. This simply enhances it and adds to it.]

[Reese Witherspoon: As bad as emotionally as she felt, you know, she was almost, like, punishing herself, which is so hard. You watch her in this huge landscapes, this little tiny girl. And it just looks punishing, you know?]

["Wild"

Cheryl screams]

[Reese Witherspoon: I mean there's days she thought she was gonna die. She ran out of water for three days. She was literally licking her tent to try and get the moisture off the tent 'cause she, she was so ill prepared for this hike. She didn't know what she was doing.]

Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson: Charlie, who was the producer of this piece?

Charlie Rose: Someone I've known for 30 years, Ruth Streeter, who is a great, great 60 Minutes producer, did a lot of stuff with Ed Bradley, who I loved.

[Ed Bradley: They don't call him the Irving Berlin of Rock for nothing.]

[Ed Bradley: As recently as five years ago, most Americans had never heard of Judi Dench.]

[Ed Bradley: A look at the genius of Ray Charles.]

Charlie Rose: And she came to me and said, you know, they want to do this piece with Reese. Ruth Streeter went out to see her before we did the piece. Reese said to Ruth, you know, "Charlie's the perfect person to do this. He'll get me. I'm southern."

[Reese Witherspoon: So if I kind of creep close to you Charlie...]

[Charlie Rose: I'll feel so much better.]

[Reese Witherspoon: It's because I just want to be close to you.]

[Charlie Rose: Oh, god.]

Charlie Rose: I mean, I love women who are strong, you know, smart, who are in control of their lives. Those are the kind of women that I'm most attracted to.

Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson: Reese Witherspoon describes herself as a feminist.

Charlie Rose: Right

Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson: ...do you buy that?

Charlie Rose: Of course. My definition of feminism is women in a sense in control of their lives, women who create their own choices, women who believe in the empowerment of women. I consider myself in all of those things.

["Wild"

Journalist: I've only spoken to maybe one other female hobo in 2 years.

Cheryl: Let me reiterate to you, I'm not a hobo. And that's probably because women can't walk out of their lives. They've got kids to take care of; they've got parents to look after.

Journalist: You sound like a feminist.

Cheryl: I am.]

Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson: You know, one of the things in your piece she talks about, her love of reading when she was being cared for by her grandmother growing up...

Charlie Rose: A huge influence on her life.

Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson: Does this love of reading translate to today where she prides herself on reading so many manuscripts before they've even gone to print?

Charlie Rose: Other people in Hollywood do that. But what's interesting about her is how quick she reacts. She read "Wild" and "Gone Girl" really and immediately knew that she wanted to do it and got involved in the process. So she loves to read. She reads and it has consequences.

The movies, "Wild" and "Gone Girl," were developed by Witherspoon and her business partner, Bruna Papandrea. Together they started the production company, Pacific Standard. They had a feeling both books had potential to become successful films, even before they were published.

[Charlie Rose: You could be nominated best actress. "Gone Girl" could be nominated best film, best director, stars. Have you thought about that? How fast you have come?]

[Reese Witherspoon: I didn't really think about it until you said it.]

[Bruna Papandrea: I think about it all time.]

[Reese Witherspoon: You do?]

[Bruna Papandrea No, I mean, I...]

[Charlie Rose: Did, or you didn't...]

[Bruna Papandrea: I thought about how fast. And it's been an amazing...]

[Charlie Rose: Because...]

[Bruna Papandrea: ...two and a half years.]

[Charlie Rose: I mean, in two and a half years, can I tell you how many times I sit down with somebody to talk about a film that they've made, and they will explain to me it's been in development for six, ten years.]

[Bruna Papandrea: We have those films. I mean, I have those films.]

[Charlie Rose: What's the sweetest part of it?]

[Reese Witherspoon: That we were right. That we were right about those books.]

[Bruna Papandrea: For me, the sweetest part is honoring Cheryl Strayed-like with Wild, particularly is honoring Cheryl Strayed's...]

[Charlie Rose: You kept the faith with the...]

[Bruna Papandrea: Voice. Yes.]

[Charlie Rose: Book and with her.]

[Bruna Papandrea: Yeah, and that's our job. That's our job as producers to choose collaborators that will retain the integrity in what she created. And I'm very proud.]

Charlie Rose: And they're reaching out to Nicole Kidman and other actresses to give them the same kind of opportunity to participate in their projects.

Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson: So acting is not necessarily going to be something she's gonna be pursuing for the next decade or so? I mean, it's really gonna be developing and being behind the camera?

Charlie Rose: Yeah, I think acting will be part of her life for as long as she finds roles, either creates them or they come to her. I mean, she still will be asked by other directors you know; she is a big star in Hollywood.

[Reese Witherspoon: Ruth...]

[Charlie Rose: How great is this?]

[Reese Witherspoon: ...too bad Charlie and I don't have anything to talk about.]

[Ruth Streeter: Yeah, that is too bad.]

[Reese Witherspoon: He gets quiet as a church mouse, this one.]

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