Reese Witherspoon at ABC Studios in New York today. (Roger Wong/INFphoto.com)
It was just “one of those nights.”
Reese Witherspoon is finally speaking out about her high-profile arrest last month on disorderly conduct, after her husband was pulled over for allegedly driving drunk.
Appearing on “Good Morning America,” the actress revealed how embarrassed she was by the late night incident in Atlanta, in which she reportedly asked the cop, “Do you know my name?”
“I have no idea what I was saying that night. I saw him arresting my husband and I literally panicked,” Witherspoon said today on “GMA.” “I told him I was pregnant. I’m not pregnant. I said all kinds of crazy things…I have no idea what I was talking about.”
While she was arrested on disorderly conduct, her husband, CAA agent Jim Toth, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and failure to maintain the lane.
“We went out to dinner in Atlanta and we had one too many glasses of wine,” Witherspoon explained in her first live interview since the arrest. “We thought we were fine to drive and we absolutely were not. We know better and we shouldn’t have done that.”
Following her arrest, Witherspoon canceled numerous talk show appearances, including one on “GMA,” but she did release a statement about the incident.
“I clearly had one drink too many, and I am deeply embarrassed about the things I said,” she said in the statement.
“It’s just completely unacceptable and we are so sorry and embarrassed,” Witherspoon said this morning. “I think we made a mistake and it was something that will absolutely never happen again.”
Witherspoon allegedly became agitated and started to get out of the car twice while Toth, who appeared disheveled and smelled of alcohol, agreed to perform a field sobriety test, according to the police report.
“I was so disrespectful to [the officer who pulled us over],” Witherspoon said. “I have police officers in my family. I work with police officers every day. I know better. It’s just unacceptable.”
The “Legally Blonde” star attributed her behavior to her acting roles.
“I played a lawyer in a movie so many times I think I am a lawyer,” Witherspoon said. “And, clearly, I’m not a lawyer because I got arrested.”
The couple was taken to jail before being released. Witherspoon has been ordered to appear in court on May 22 and Toth is set to face a judge the following day. Witherspoon said she’s been in touch with the authorities in Atlanta.
The actress, currently starring in the indie drama “Mud” opposite Matthew McConaughey, said the toughest part of her ordeal has been explaining what happened to her kids.
“We have to say when you make a mistake, you take responsibility, and we are taking responsibility and doing everything in our power to make it right,” she said. “You just have to be honest with them.”
“When a police officer tells you to stay in the car, you stay in the car,” she said. “I learned that for sure.”