What type of character do you play in the upcoming Four Christmases?

WITHERSPOON: I play Kate Kincaid who is a woman who is in a relationship with a man who, we both mutually agree we don’t want to see our families. Every Christmas we travel and have a very particular theology about relationships, and life, that we are never going to get married, never have children, but we like our life. Through a course of events we have to go home. Both of our parents are divorced so we have to go to four Christmases in one day.

How was Vince Vaughn's spontaneity and improvisation?

WITHERSPOON: It’s actually great. He’s a wonderful collaborator. He’s inspiring and he’s so open. I was scared to death the first day. I was like, ‘Oh no! He’s going to say a million things and I’m not going to know what to say back.’ The good news is we had been working on it for five months in a room. I had gotten used to his personality and how fast his mind works. His mind literally works so fast. I said to him, 'People can’t talk as fast as you think.' You can’t keep up with him. I feel like I’ve been in Vince Vaughn training. Now by the end, he says one thing and I’m like, ‘Blah, blah, blah. Shut up, just stop talking, you never shut up.’

Now that the Oscars are over, where do you keeps yours?

WITHERSPOON: Well, I’ve considered making it into a doorknocker or a necklace, but neither one of those options was very practical. I just keep it in my living room.

As an Oscar winner do you look at scripts differently or is it just business as usual as you move forward?

WITHERSPOON: I think you just have to go forward like you always have. I’ve never let anything stop me. You are who you are in life. You are just who you grew up being. I still feel like I can barely afford an apartment sometimes. I call my accountant and I go, ‘Can I afford to buy that car?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, you can.’ ‘Okay.’ I think, in the sense of choosing material, I feel like I’m always choosing things based on where I’m at in life. The process of what I’ve gone through recently is always a part of decision making. It’s interesting how things come your way that are right for you. You gravitate towards things that you are trying to work out in your own life.

What is the best career advice you have ever received and who gave it to you?

WITHERSPOON: The best career advice was never miss an opportunity to just be quiet. That is always a good piece of advice, just in life. It was actually put, 'Never miss an opportunity to just shut up.' That was from my granddad. Also, the interesting thing about our business is it's so ever-evolving. Always be nice to everybody, particularly the people that answer the phones, because they are going to be your boss in four years. It’s true, it happens all the time.

For teen girls struggling with their image, what can they take away from Penelope?

WITHERSPOON: I guess that there are all sorts of definitions of beauty. Beyond what is the physical aspect of beauty it’s about finding what makes you unique is what can be really defining in your life. It’s important to really know yourself.

Are there any parallels between the experiences that Penelope goes through and just being a celebrity?

WITHERSPOON: Yeah, we definitely had that aspect of the movie. There is a little representation of the paparazzi there, with Peter Dinklage’s character and the choices he makes. They were definitely fantastic and fairytale-like. There was definitely that aspect in it, it’s interesting. There are all sorts of different things that make you famous nowadays.