Reese Witherspoon's Iconic Role in HBO's Big Little Lies

There’s no shortage of iconic roles in Reese Witherspoon’s filmography. She first broke out with her turn as ruthless go-getter Tracy Flick in Alexander Payne’s coming-of-age political satire Election, which still holds up as a cult classic, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Witherspoon has since played Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Cheryl Strayed in Wild, and she won an Oscar for her uncanny portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line.

It would be almost impossible to name one single role as the most iconic of Witherspoon’s career. Elle is probably the most recognizable, but Cheryl has more depth. Tracy might be the funniest, but June is more emotionally engaging. For my money, the best character Witherspoon has ever played is Madeline Mackenzie from HBO’s Big Little Lies.

Big Little Lies Features Reese Witherspoon In Her Career-Best Role

When it was released as a miniseries in 2017, Big Little Lies proved to be so popular that HBO renewed it for a second season. Like Beef and The White Lotus, it followed a trend where a limited series becomes such a huge hit that the network turns it into a series series. But unlike those shows, it wasn’t turned into an anthology show with a different story in each season; it was turned into a full-blown series, bringing back the same characters and continuing the same story.

Showrunner David E. Kelley and original Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty came up with a story for season 2 that lived up to season 1, felt like a necessary addition to that story, and explored all-new themes as it followed up on the legal ramifications of season 1’s plot. Season 2 also expanded the show’s already-stacked cast to incorporate arguably the greatest living actor: the one and only Meryl Streep.

Even before Streep joined the ensemble, Big Little Lies had one of the best casts on TV, and certainly the most star-studded. It’s wall-to-wall A-listers: Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Adam Scott, Alexander Skarsgård, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz. Despite having all these characters to service, Kelley took the time to round out Madeline as the most complex and fascinating role of Witherspoon’s storied career.

Madeline Mackenzie Feels Like An Adult Version Of Witherspoon's Election Character

Witherspoon’s Big Little Lies character, Madeline Martha Mackenzie, is essentially an adult version of Tracy from Election. She’s every bit the preppy, high-strung, ruthlessly ambitious monster that Tracy was, but a more mature, grownup version. Rather than ruling her high school as student body president, Madeline rules her community as the strong-willed alpha female of the town.

When we meet Madeline, she’s struggling to wrap her head around her ex-husband’s marriage to a young, beautiful yoga instructor, which stirs up all the pettiness and vindictiveness that drove Tracy into a vengeful rage. We never got that long-delayed Election sequel, but Witherspoon’s portrayal of Madeline gives us some idea of what an adult Tracy would be like.

Big Little Lies Is Finally Returning For A Third Season On HBO

In the seven years since Big Little Lies returned for its surprise second season, we’ve heard plenty of vague developments about a third. HBO was always eager to do a third season, and the cast and crew were excited to work together again, but it all depended on Moriarty coming up with a season 3 storyline. The passing of series director Jean-Marc Vallée cast doubt on whether season 3 would ever happen.

But, in late 2025, Big Little Lies season 3 was finally confirmed to be in the works. We don’t have a firm release date for the new season of Big Little Lies yet, but Francesca Sloane has been hired as an executive producer, and Moriarty’s follow-up book (which will be the basis for the season) is expected to be published at some point in 2026. So, it’s only a matter of time now.