Reese Witherspoon leads tribute to her Big Little Lies director Jean-Marc Vallée

Jean-Marc Vallée died suddenly at 58 when in a cabin outside Quebec City on Sunday which his family said came as a big shock to them.

And on Monday morning the tributes started coming in for the Hollywood director.

Reese Witherspoon was one of the first as she said in an Instagram post that her heart was ‘broken.’ The Oscar-winning actress and the famed helmer worked together on the series Big Little Lies as well as the critically acclaimed 2014 movie Wild.

His big stars for Big Little Lies: (L-R) Nicole Kidman, Witherspoon and Jean-Marc in 2017

‘My heart is broken. My friend. I love you,’ said Reese as she added a broken heart emoji. The image was of Reese and Jean on set.

Shailene Woodley, also a Big Little Lies star, shared a tribute for the filmmaker.

‘I am in shock. Complete and utter shock. My f***ing god death is the worst,’ wrote Shailene over a photo of the back of Jean in a kitchen.

‘Oh my, it tears me apart,’ the fiancé of football star Aaron Rodgers added.

‘But I guess somehow I know you will turn it into a grand adventure… one for the books. one I can’t wait to read & to watch when my time comes.

‘It doesn’t make sense though dude. It doesn’t make sense. Maybe when we wake up tomorrow you’ll be there laughing saying it was just a satirical short film you made. That it’s not real.’

Big cast: The film was acclaimed for getting the best performances out of, from left, Shailene Woodley as Jane Chapman, Zoe Kravitz as Bonnie Carlson, Witherspoon as Madeline Martha Mackenzie, Nicole Kidman as Celeste Wright and Laura Dern as Renata Klein

A triumph: Vallee with Witherspoon on the harrowing 2014 drama Wild about self redemption

The Descendants actress then ended with, ‘Did you ever want it?’

Josh Gad of Frozen fame wrote, ‘Oh my God. This is so horrible. Absolutely loved his work. RIP.’ 

Bridesmaids director Paul Feig said, ‘My god, this is so unbelievably sad. What a huge loss. He was an incredibly talented filmmaker. Sending much love and condolences to his family.’

Musician Finneas wrote, ‘Damn, Rest In Peace to Jean-Marc Vallée. Incredible artist.’ 

Jason Blum shared, ‘Jean-Marc Vallée was an incredible talent and treasured collaborator to @blumhouse on Sharp Objects. His family and friends are in our thoughts today.’

‘The Dallas Buyers Club director passed away suddenly at the age of 58 at his cabin outside Quebec City in Canada on Sunday, leaving his family and friends ‘in shock’, Deadline have announced.

It is not currently known how the Demolition director died. 

Jean-Marc’s producing partner, Nathan Ross, has paid tribute to his friend, hailing him as a ‘true artist’.

He said in a statement: ‘Jean-Marc stood for creativity, authenticity and trying things differently. He was a true artist and a generous, loving guy.

Hard to take: Shailene, also a Big Little Lies star, shared a tribute for the filmmaker. ‘I am in shock. Complete and utter shock. My f***ing god death is the worst,’ wrote Shailene over a photo of the back of Jean in a kitchen

‘Everyone who worked with him couldn’t help but see the talent and vision he possessed. He was a friend, creative partner and an older brother to me. The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on.’

In a statement following his passing, HBO executives said: ‘Jean-Marc Vallée was a brilliant, fiercely dedicated filmmaker, a truly phenomenal talent who infused every scene with a deeply visceral, emotional truth.

‘He was also a hugely caring man who invested his whole self alongside every actor he directed.

He was a fan: Josh Gad of Frozen fame wrote, ‘Oh my God. This is so horrible. Absolutely loved his work. RIP’

Sad turn: Bridesmaids director Paul Feig said, ‘My god, this is so unbelievably sad. What a huge loss. He was an incredibly talented filmmaker. Sending much love and condolences to his family’

Incredible loss for entertainment: Musician Finneas wrote, ‘Damn, Rest In Peace to Jean-Marc Vallée. Incredible artist’

‘We are shocked at the news of his sudden death, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies to his sons, Alex and Émile, his extended family, and his longtime producing partner, Nathan Ross.’

The Canadian writer, producer, editor and director’s breakthrough feature film was C.R.A.Z.Y., which he wrote and directed and in 2014, he was nominated for the Best Editing Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club, which also saw Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto take the lead and supporting actor honours at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild awards.

Jean-Marc followed that movie with Wild, which led to Oscar nominations for Witherspoon and Laura Dern, and reunited with both actresses when he directed and produced the first season of HBO’s Big Little Lies.

Proud: The Canadian writer, producer, editor and director was nominated for the Best Editing Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club, which starred Matthew McConaughey; seen in 2014

He scooped two Emmy Awards for directing and producing the mini-series, contributing to the total of eight Emmys and four Golden Globes won by the show. 

Vallee is survived by his two sons – Alex and Emile, whom he shares with ex-wife Chantal Cadieux, a Canadian playwright whom Vallee was married to for more than 15 years, from 1990 to 2006.

He is also survived by siblings Marie-Josee Vallee, Stephane Tousignant and Gerald Vallee.

He was set to direct and executive-produce another limited series for HBO, Gorilla and the Bird, based on a memoir of the same name about a public defender who suffers a psychotic break, according to the New York Times.

Sharp move: Amy Adams (L) and Vallee attend the premiere of HBO’s Sharp Objects at The Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles in 2018

Vallee often shot with natural light and hand-held cameras and gave actors freedom to improvise the script and move around within a scene´s location. The crew roamed up and down the Pacific Coast Trail to shoot Witherspoon in 2014’s ‘Wild.’

‘They can move anywhere they want,’ the Canadian filmmaker said of his actors in a 2014 interview.

‘It’s giving the importance to storytelling, emotion, characters. I try not to interfere too much. I don’t need to cut performances.

‘Often, the cinematographer and I were like, ‘This location sucks. It’s not very nice. But, hey, that’s life.”

And in a 2018 interview with the New York Times, Valle described his work as trying to expose the flaws and imperfections in human nature.

‘I see that I seem to be attracted to these stories and to underdog characters,’ he said at the time, adding: ‘The humanity, the beautiful humanity, is dark.’