Reese Witherspoon opens up about how much she has changed as she recalls surprising childhood

Reese Witherspoon is known for her peppy persona and ultimate girly style, especially since starring as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.

MORE: Reese Witherspoon's cute new mini dress has a detail that fans are wild about

However, in a recent conversation with fellow actress Kerry Washington, the star revealed that it was most certainly not always that way!

The Big Little Lies lead opened up about her childhood, shared surprising details about her upbringing, and revealed just how much she has changed over the years.

WATCH: Reese fails to keep up during hysterical challenge

MORE: Reese Witherspoon’s sweet tribute to her mother leaves fans saying the same thing

Reese was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has always been very outspoken and proud about her strong Southern background.

She has an older brother, John D. Witherspoon, and in the conversation with the Scandal actress, which both shared on their respective Instagram pages, the mom-of-three revealed just how much her older sibling influenced her when they were growing up.

She admitted: "So I always had my brother's hand-me-down clothes and hand-me-down-bike."

The star has come a long way

Explaining her mother's approach when raising the two, she said: "My mother was very thrifty," and letting her Southern accent escape, she joked: "She doesn't like me to say cheap, but she was thrifty!"

MORE: All we know about Reese Witherspoon's son Deacon Phillippe's acting career - and why he got his latest role

MORE: Reese Witherspoon cheers on son Deacon Phillippe's surprise release

Considering it meant Reese would be walking around in clothes traditionally aimed for boys, Kerry asked: "So did she transform it for you, like turn shorts into skirts?" to which she replied that she absolutely did not, and confessed just how different her style used to be because of it.

© Photo: Getty Images

Reese's tomboy days were left behind when she started acting at fifteen

She recalled: "Kerry, I was the biggest tomboy. I was such a tomboy. I was a tree climber, I picked up frogs, I love bugs. I spent half of my life at a creek, picking up crawdads and following a bunch of boys."

As she detailed what a long way she's come since her tomboy days, she was – quite ironically – sporting a bright, bubblegum pink eyelet blouse.

Read more HELLO! US stories here

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.