Reese Witherspoon’s ‘Big Little Lies’ 2 Character Spoilers

Reese Witherspoon will reprise her role as Madeline on Big Little Lies. The actress has kept a tight lip regarding the character and the events that shape her arc this season, but there have been some clues and hints as to how she’s changed since the events of the season one finale. Read on to learn more about Madeline.

According to Deadline, the character will find that “good intentions don’t always yield good consequences.” Madeline will have to confront the truth of Perry Wright’s shocking death, while “coming to terms” with her own marriage and traditional notions of family. She will also have to contend with the arrival of Perry’s mother, Mary Louise, whom she immediately bumps heads with and develops a dislike for over the course of the season.

Madeline Will Have to ‘Come to Terms’ With Her Marriage & Family In Season 2

Witherspoon said she was thrilled to act alongside cast newcomer Meryl Streep. During an interview with Seth Meyers, she admitted that she dropped the phone upon finding out that Streep had joined on, and begged writer David E. Kelley to give them scenes together. “You better write me good scenes with Meryl Streep!”, she recalled telling him. If production photos are anything to go by, it looks like Witherspoon got her wish.

In August, a photo leaked online that showed Witherspoon about to hurl an ice cream cone at the back of Streep’s head. The former tweeted that Madeline did in fact nail Streep’s character with said cone, so it’s safe to assume that there’s some serious conflict going on between these two characters. Check out Witherspoon’s original post below.

Madeline Has a Confrontation with Perry Wright’s Mother Mary Louise

Witherspoon also had a hand in Madeline’s story during season two. During a recent Vulture interview, HBO chief of programming Casey Bloys talked about the production process, and how Witherspoon gave her input. “[Lianne Moriarty] came up with a novella, which was key. David took it and thought, ‘Is there something I can do with it?’ Reese and Nicole were involved, and they felt that there was more life in the characters. Everybody approached it from a place of love and care [for] these characters and this property, and again, with a little dose of skepticism along the way.”

“I think everybody involved believes it’s either going to hit that bar and exceed it, or we wouldn’t do it,” Bloys added. “We didn’t start with, ‘We must do this.’ Everybody is too busy; Reese and Nicole have too many things going on. Everybody involved is at the top of their game doing other things. Nobody had to do this, so every part had to feel right. Reese and Nicole are not vanity producers. They are in this, having conversations.”