More than a week after her arrest for disorderly conduct, a contrite and "embarrassed" Reese Witherspoon opened up publicly for the first time about the experience in an interview with Good Morning America on Thursday.
"It's one of those nights, you know, we went out to dinner in Atlanta and we had one too many glasses of wine and we thought we were fine to drive and we absolutely were not," the actress told George Stephanopoulos. "And it's just completely unacceptable and we are so sorry and embarrassed. And we know better. And we shouldn't have done that."
The squeaky-clean star was booked April 19 in Atlanta after police stopped her husband, CAA agent Jim Toth, for driving erratically. He was charged with DUI and not staying in the lane, while Witherspoon was also taken into custody after becoming upset and getting out of the car twice. She said "Do you know my name?" and when the police officer responded no, she answered: "You're about to find out who I am. ... You are going to be on national news."
VIDEO: Reese Witherspoon Arrest Footage Hits Web
When Stephanopoulos remarked on how out-of-character it was for the prim and popular Witherspoon to play the celebrity card, she replied: "I know, I agree. I have no idea what I was saying that night. I saw him arresting my husband and I literally panicked. And I said all kinds of crazy things. I told him I was pregnant -- I'm not pregnant! I said crazy things. And if you only hear me laughing (it's) because I have no idea what I was talking about. And I'm so sorry. I was so disrespectful to him and I have police officers in my family. I work with police officers every day. I know better and it's just unacceptable."
Witherspoon said she spoke with Atlanta police on Wednesday to apologize and observed: "When a police officer tells you to stay in the car, you stay in the car!"
She said the most difficult part about getting arrested was having to explain it to her kids. She has a 13-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son with ex Ryan Phillippe, and welcomed a third child -- a boy named Tennessee -- with Toth last September.
"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 and you just have to be honest with them," she said.
Twitter: @ErinLCarlson; Email: erin.carlson@thr.com
