Reese Witherspoon’s Lookalike Daughter Ava Phillippe Boards ‘Doctor Odyssey’ For Her Acting Debut: See The Photos

Move over, mom and dad, there’s a new star on the scene… or on a ship. 

In this week’s episode of Doctor Odyssey, “Spring Break,” Ava Phillippe, the daughter of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, is making her acting debut, playing a college-aged “vixen” who sets her sights on Dr. Max (Joshua Jackson). Even better, Witherspoon’s firstborn is guest starring on the sea-set dramedy alongside fellow spotlight-born stars, Paris Jackson, the daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe, and Charlotte Lawrence, the daughter of Scrubs and Ted Lasso creator Bill Lawrence and actress Christa Miller. 

Alongside the trio of young actresses raised in Hollywood are guest stars Kathryn Newton and TikTok star Noah Beck. The 20-somethings are boarding The Odyssey for a week of fun in the sun, only touched by a few medical incidents if past episodes are any indication. According to an episode description, “Spring break hits The Odyssey as three college ‘vixens’ set their sights on Max. Meanwhile, Tristan faces his drinking problem while other passengers’ struggles keep the medical team on their toes.”

The episode marks the first real role for Ava, an undergrad student at UC Berkeley who has only previously appeared as herself in on-camera roles, according to IMDB. Her younger brother, Deacon Reese, made his acting debut as Parker in Netflix’s Never Have I Ever back in 2022. Witherspoon is also a mom to another son with ex-husband Jim Toth and Phillippe shares a daughter with Pitch Perfect actress Alexis Knapp.

As for Lawrence and Jackson, Doctor Odyssey is far from their first time on camera. Jackson appeared in another Ryan Murphy show, American Horror Story, in 2021 and more recently appeared in Prime Video’s Emmy-nominated series Swarm starring Dominique Fishback. Lawrence, who also works as a musician and model, starred in her father’s Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey, in 2024. 

In preview photos released ahead of this week’s episode, Ava, Jackson, Lawrence, and Newton can be seen boarding The Odyssey and soaking up some sun on the pool deck, with Beck’s character and Dr. Max stopping by. One photo of Ava also appears to confirm an homage to one of her mom’s iconic roles, Elle Woods, in Legally Blonde. In the stills, the new actress sports a pink sparkly bikini, a large necklace, and a high ponytail, recreating her Witherspoon’s own look from the 2001 flick almost identically. 

In just 13 episodes, Doctor Odyssey has managed to become a star-studded destination, welcoming Angela Bassett, John Stamos, Margo Martindale, Kelsea Ballerini, Bob the Drag Queen, Shania Twain (twice!), and more. The freshman ABC drama — which also stars Phillips Soo, Sean Teale, and Don Johnson — has yet to secure a Season 2 renewal but has five episodes still to release after “Spring Break.” 

New episodes of Doctor Odyssey air Thursdays at 9 PM local and stream the next day on Hulu.