Pixar’s thirteenth feature film, Brave, featured its first princess voiced by the Scottish actress, Kelly Macdonald. Looking back, it’s hard to imagine Merida voiced by anyone else, but did you know that she was originally slated to be voiced by Oscar winner, Reese Witherspoon? It wasn’t until March 28, 2011, when EW confirmed Witherspoon’s exit from the film (noting “scheduling issues”) and announced her replacement would be Kelly Macdonald.
In a recent interview (which aired on ITV’s daytime show Lorraine), Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey were promoting their animated film, Sing!, when the discussion of accents came up and Reese shared her exit from a film due to a poor accent performance with a chuckle and some apprehension on her voice.
I tried to do a Scottish accent once, it was bad. I had to quit the movie. It’s not my finest moment.
Reese Witherspoon
I think we’ve all been there, right? Admitting you’ve failed isn’t a bad thing, sometimes you just need to fail at the moment to know that it’s not a right fit. We appreciate Reese’s honesty and are happy to know the truth behind the vocal cast switch. Thanks to Pixar Post Forum user Pixar’s Biggest Fan for sharing this information. To view the video below, skip to time-mark 1:55.
What do you think about Reese Witherspoon’s accidental confessional? Be sure to share your thoughts with other Pixar fans in the Pixar Post Forum or leave a comment below.
