Reel News: Reese Witherspoon Reveals the New Elle Woods and We’re Totally Obsessed
Images via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and @leximinetree
Finding a young Elle Woods? What, like it’s hard? The hunt for a young actress to play Elle Woods in Reese Witherspoon’s upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle, has been a long search. However, fans were elated to learn that the search is over and to meet the lucky lady who will step into Elle’s glittering pink heels. In an adorable video posted by Witherspoon, fans meet Lexi Minetree as she finds out she’s been cast in the titular role. As a longtime fan of Legally Blonde, I must admit I cried watching this video.
Witherspoon sets up the conversation as bad news for the young actress, but she quickly flips the script, informing Minetree that she has gotten the role. The two women hug, and Witherspoon adorably calls Minetree’s mother to inform her of the wonderful news as the young actress fights back happy tears. Side note, imagine answering a phone call and the Reese Witherspoon is on the line. I don’t know how I’d react! A short clip from Minetree’s audition video shows her replicating Elle’s infamous Harvard College admissions application video. One word: iconic!
Watching the two women sit next to one another is a little trippy. Minetree is a near doppelgänger for a young Witherspoon, and Witherspoon even admitted that herself. On the phone with Minetree’s mom, Witherspoon gushes, saying, “When I saw her tape, I was like, ‘Are we the same person?’ This is so weird!” She effortlessly captures Elle Woods’s mannerisms, and she even delivers the iconic line, “Me!”, with the same passion as Witherspoon did in the original film. From just this short video, I can already tell that Elle Woods is going to be well taken care of by this up-and-coming actress. While some prequel stories have been a disappointment in the past, I have complete faith in this series, especially because of Witherspoon’s attachment through her production company, Hello Sunshine.
The series will follow Elle Woods in high school, as she becomes the woman fans know and love. It will be such a blast to see Elle in her popular girl era, but I’m sure Witherspoon will make sure Elle’s pure heart, kindness, and determination shine through, even though Elle hasn’t started her law school education. Who knows, maybe Elle will lead the charge on uncovering a school scandal, flexing her lawyer talents well before she knew it’s her destiny.
Witherspoon is joined by Laura Kittrell as a co-showrunner and executive producer. Caroline Dries, Lauren Neustadter, Lauren Kisilevsky, and Marc Platt are also on board as executive producers. I could not be more excited for this series, and I am so confident in Minetree’s portrayal of Elle. The actress is previously known for her roles in Law and Order: SVU and The Murdaugh Murders, and now she’ll shine as Elle.
There is no set release date for the series yet, but stay tuned for our coverage, and we’ll be practicing our “bend and snaps” for the premiere of Elle when it graces our screens soon.
