The 41-year-old actress teared up during her speech, revealing that Hawn has inspired her entire career.
Reese Witherspoon is Goldie Hawn's "biggest fan."
The 41-year-old actress delivered a touching tribute at Hawn and longtime partner Kurt Russell's joint Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Thursday.
EXCLUSIVE: Goldie Hawn Tears Up Watching Flashback Footage From 'Overboard' 30 Years Ago
"OK, first of all, I just don't know where to begin with the amount of excitement I have had since 6:30 this morning. I had to go down and make an 'I love Goldie' button because I am literally her biggest fan. Really, I mean it," Witherspoon began her speech. "I mean, if you don't believe me, my very first email address was overboard@aol.com. OK? That's how much I loved these two people."
"Second of all, I can't believe Goldie actually texted me about a month ago and asked me to be here. [It's a] huge honor, and I hope it's not weird that I printed out a text and I framed it and I put it on my wall," she continued.
"The first time I ever fell in love with a movie star, it was Goldie Hawn. Oh my gosh, I'm going to try not to cry," Witherspoon confessed, before giving a play-by-play of some of Hawn's biggest films, Wildcats, Private Benjamin and First Wives Club. "Her characters had such a huge, profound effect on my career. In 2001, someone sent me a script for Legally Blonde, and I was like, 'I really like the character, but I'm not sure.'...Basically, every career choice I make in my life, I think, 'Would Goldie approve of this?'"
"Since the first time I saw her onscreen, Goldie has just inspired me. She's taught me to want more out of my life, out of my films, and she taught me to want more out of my career. And I became a producer because of her. She changed the possibilities of what women can do in films," she said, tearing up as Hawn leaned in for a hug. "So, thank you, Goldie."
"Thank you for inspiring us, all of us. Thank you for inspiring women and actresses to control their own destiny and for inspiring women to demand respect, no matter where they are or what they're doing. And thank you for making us laugh, and thank you for making us happy. She just lights up the screen, she's lit up my life. And I hope one day I can be held in the same esteem that I hold her. She's changed my life," Witherspoon shared. "And she's quite simply my idol, and I love you, Goldie."
ET caught up with Hawn ahead of the Walk of Fame ceremony, where she gushed about receiving her star with Russell.
"It's really kind of great," she said. "We're [getting] our stars together and it's kind of a celebration of the two of us!"
"We're gonna have our friends there, old friends, it'll be very nice," she added. "It's been such a long time since we ever did anything like this. People look and say, 'You mean you don't have one yet?' No we don't, actually."
See more in the video below.