Reese Witherspoon reveals 'most hated' Hollywood phrase - urges more women to be involved in film

Reese Witherspoon has identified the five worst words in Hollywood.

The actress said that she had to speak up after the words “what do we do now?” were constantly spoken by women to men in films, adding “it’s my most hated question”.

She said she was sick of scripts that saw men writing lazy female characters and that it showed women are portrayed as needing guidance from men.

“I dread reading scripts that have no women involved in their creation - because inevitably, the girl turns to the guy and says, ‘What do we do now?’

“I’m serious,” she said. “Go back and watch any movie, you will see this line over and over.”

“Films with women at the center are not a public service project," she said. "They are a big-time, bottom line-enhancing, money-making commodity."

She drew laughs from the audience when she told Amy Schumer - who was nominated for an award - that she wanted the rights to her biopic.

“Although, Amy, I’m five years older than you, so I’ll probably have to play your grandmother in the movie, by Hollywood standards, and you’ll probably have to play your own mother.”

Witherspoon was speaking at Glamour’s 25th annual Women of the Year Awards when she received the award for Hollywood Hero.

She told the audience that she met with seven studio heads in 2012 and asked the simple question: “How many movies are you developing with a female lead?” but was met with blank stares.

As a result, she founded her own production company, Pacific Standard, intending to support more female-driven stories and focusing on bringing them to the big screen.

Witherspoon produced the hugely successful Gone Girl and Wild, which starred herself. The two pictures made over half a billion dollars at the box office worldwide.