Reese Witherspoon Describes 'Emotional Experience' While Filming 'The Good Lie'

— -- Reese Witherspoon has portrayed June Carter Cash, a high school overachiever and a Harvard-educated lawyer in her long movie career, but she says it is her latest role, that of an American woman who takes Sudanese refugees under her wing, that has changed her.

“Absolutely,” Witherspoon, 38, told ABC News’ Amy Robach when asked whether playing Carrie Davis in the new film “The Good Lie” had an impact on her personally.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to play a different kind of character,” Witherspoon said. “But any time that you can be part of a story where you're helping bring light to something that has nothing to do with you or your life, it's exciting.”

See Reese Witherspoon’s Inspiring Message to Boy With Cancer

Reese Witherspoon Among Celebrities Turning Lifestyle Gurus

Reese Witherspoon on Joan Rivers: 'I Still Laughed' Even When She Wasn't Nice

Witherspoon’s character, an employment counselor, takes on the task of helping the Sudanese men find their way in the United States after their village is attacked and they eventually make it onto a humanitarian flight.

The refugees in the movie are played by Sudanese actors Arnold Oceng, Emmanuel Jal, Ger Duany and Kuoth Wiel, each of whom has a personal tie to Sudan.

“Getting to work with Ger and Emmanuel, you just see the triumph of the human spirit, that they have been through so much in their lives but are still so grateful for the opportunity they've had,” Witherspoon said.

“I'll treasure that forever. For the rest of my life," she said.

Witherspoon, a mother of three, said she used the movie’s filming as an opportunity to include her teenage daughter, Ava. In the end, Witherspoon says, both were inspired by their visit to a refugee camp.

“I brought my 14-year old daughter with me and it was very illuminating for a kid from America,” Witherspoon said of visiting the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. “She's a very thoughtful girl, but this was a whole other level.

“I think visiting Kakuma Refugee Camp was a very emotional experience for me,” Witherspoon said of the camp where more than 170,000 refugees are currently living after fleeing the most recent civil war.

"It was an incredible opportunity for me to see how hundreds of thousands of refugees are living every single day, with very little infrastructure," she said. "The camp is run amazingly. People are going to want to do something, so we created the Good Lie Fund in order for people to give back."

The fund will support the humanitarian and education needs of the Lost Boys and Girls and their communities in the United States and internationally.

Click here for more information on the Good Lie Fund.

Though the film covers a weighty subject matter, behind the scenes, during filming, the Sudanese actors were entertained by Witherspoon’s secret talent.

“Behind the scenes, I think Reese can rap and dance,” Emmanuel Jal told Robach.

While Witherspoon agreed that the group had a “good time” behind the scenes, the Oscar winner declined to show off her rapping skills.

“No, I’m waiting for my album to drop,” she joked.

“The Good Lie” opens in U.S. theaters Oct. 3rd.