Reese Witherspoon was in her early 20s when her iconic Hollywood career took off, and it seems like her daughter, Ava Phillippe, is following in her footsteps. The 26-year-old made her TV acting debut last year in an episode of Doctor Odyssey, and has also popped up in the Netflix show Ransom Canyon and Role Model’s “Look At That Woman” music video. So while her acting career is on the up and up, it was still a shock to see Phillippe all grown up and working with Yellowstone actor Luke Grimes, but Reese Witherspoon is one proud mama.
Country music fans received a big surprise on April 1st when Ella Langley dropped her music video for “Choosin’ Texas,” but the country music star was anything but fooling around. The star-studded video features appearances from Grimes, Langley, Miranda Lambert, Kaitlin Butts, and, of course, Phillippe, plus a couple of very obvious product placements for Jack Daniel's whisky.
Given Grimes recent return to the world of Yellowstone in the spin-off Marshals, paired with Langley’s sweep at the 2025 ACM Awards, this is a wild country collab for Phillippe to land, and Witherspoon took to Instagram to celebrate her daughter’s role:
Upon seeing this, I was so excited to watch the music video, but I wasn’t prepared to see how grown-up Phillippe looks.
The Morning Show actress was younger than her daughter when she had her kids, Ava and Deacon Phillippe, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe. Her kids grew up in the spotlight, joining her on movie sets like Legally Blonde, This Means War, and Wild. It seems like only a few years ago they were entering college. The Election actress was in her feels upon seeing the video as well, posting the following snapshot to her Instagram story:
I know it’s been said time and time again, but wow, Ava Phillippe really is her mom’s mini-me. If you told me this was a still of Witherspoon from Sweet Home Alabama, I’d probably believe you. Even now, they still look so similar, and the Fear actress just turned 50, which is more of a testament to Witherspoon’s ageless abilities.
In the video, Phillippe plays the childhood sweetheart Grimes’ character left behind in Texas. Langley, who is romantically linked to Grimes’ character, sings of how she can’t compete with their history, as Phillippe and the Marshals actor catch glances from across a crowded bar. Check out the full video below:
I know it’s only a small part, but the Dior Beauty model plays the subtle pining so well, you can feel everything unresolved between her and the Eddington actor with just their looks. I’m sure it helped to be working alongside a veteran actor like Grimes, and props to Ella Langley, too, who directed the video.
Phillippe shared her love and appreciation for the experience on her own Instagram, giving the country music singer her flowers in the caption:
This was such a fun shoot & I couldn’t be more grateful to be included in this stellar cast. Ella is a true storyteller & getting to witness her creativity up close has me even more excited to see what she does next.
I have to say, the more I see of Ava Phillippe, the more excited I am for her first lead role. The actress is set to star alongside Sam Morelos (Summer of ‘69) in Tommy Dorfman’s film adaptation of the graphic novel Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me. Phillippe will play the titular character, Laura Dean, the most charming, popular girl in school, who Freddie (Sam) can’t stay away from. Dorfman told The Hollywood Reporter that the two leads’ chemistry is electric, and I couldn’t be more excited to see Phillippe’s feature film debut in this upcoming LGBTQ+ movie.
However, while we wait for that, I'll be hyping up this music video just like her mom has been.
