Reese Witherspoon on her divorce from Jim Toth: ‘It's a vulnerable time for me’

Reese Witherspoon is getting candid about going through a public divorce with soon-to-be-ex-husband Jim Toth.

The "Morning Show" star, 47, told Harper's Bazaar that her split with Toth after 12 years of marriage made her feel "connected" to others who are in the midst of their own painful breakups. “I think about how many other people are going through this experience,” said Witherspoon, adding, “I don’t feel isolated at all.”

The Oscar winner, whose 2006 breakup with first husband Ryan Phillippe became tabloid fodder, is proud that she and Toth made the choice to announce their divorce themselves in a joint statement in March.

“It’s interesting what happened to me,” said the "Legally Blonde" star. “When I was divorced before, the tabloid media got to tell people how I was feeling or how I was processing, and it felt very out of control.

"To be able to talk to people directly about what’s going on in my life and just share it in the way that I share great professional experiences or personal experiences, it feels much more authentic to be able to say things in my own voice and not let somebody else control what’s happening," she said.

Witherspoon, who shares a son, Tennessee, 10, with Toth, and older kids Ava, 23, and Deacon, 19, with Phillippe, said she tries to ignore the gossipy “speculation” about why she and Toth decided to call it quits.

“All I can do is be my most honest, forthright self and be vulnerable,” she said. “It’s a vulnerable time for me.”

Elsewhere during the interview, Witherspoon described herself as a “glass-half-full-type person."

With her marriage ending during a time when the world's headlines have grown bleaker, Witherspoon has deliberately chosen to act in more "joyful" movies.

She can be seen co-starring opposite Ashton Kutcher in the Netflix rom-com "Your Place or Mine," and is currently filming "You’re Cordially Invited," an Amazon comedy with Will Ferrell.

“I think the human capacity to handle as much heartbreak and tragedy that’s happened in the world is really diminished. We’re just not meant to feel this overwhelmed by sadness and devastation," she explained.

"I think of opportunities to make movies and television shows that are joyful, optimistic, funny — just funny. I think about what I want to see on a Friday night, and while I can appreciate a true-crime show or a podcast, I really need some levity," she added. "I think the world is looking for a little brightness."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com