Producer and star Reese Witherspoon actually read the manuscript for Cheryl Strayed’s book before it was even published. From the start, she was interested in portraying Strayed and financed the project’s development through her own production company. According to Witherspoon, “I related to the loss and grief. I’ve been divorced. I’ve been a single mom. I’ve had to say goodbye to people that I loved in my life. The way Cheryl synthesized those emotions made it feel like my story and everyone’s story. We are all on a solitary journey.”