Ava Phillippe takes after her mother in more ways than one. Phillippe, the daughter of Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon and her ex-husband, Cruel Intentions actor Ryan Phillippe, has landed her first lead role in the upcoming film Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me. The movie is an adaptation of a 2019 graphic novel of the same name, which bills itself as a queer coming-of-age film about a tumultuous lesbian relationship at a California high school. Phillippe, 25, will play the eponymous Laura Dean, the capricious it girl in school and love interest of Frederica Riley, played by That ’90s Show actress Sam Morelos, 20. Director Tommy Dorfman, 33, called the chemistry between the actresses “electric” and said that Phillippe‘s “effortlessness as Laura Dean” made her perfect for the role. The film will mark Phillippe’s big break as an actress, having only played minor roles in the TV series Doctor Odyssey and Random Canyon. Phillipe, who is currently dating boyfriend Dakota Brubaker—a musician who goes by the name Vindigo and, like Phillippe, attended the University of California at Berkeley—is openly queer, sharing on Instagram that she is “attracted to … people!” and that she believes “gender is whatever.” Who knows? Maybe Hollywood will soon be hailing a new queer icon.
