Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Reese Witherspoon played a pivotal role in bringing the new Legally Blonde prequel series to the screen.
The Oscar-winning actress, 50, has been hailed for helping shape the show Elle as she serves as an executive producer on the Prime Video programme, and it has now emerged she worked extremely closely with the creative team before selecting newcomer Lexi Minetree to portray the teenage version of the character she first made famous more than two decades ago.
The series, which premiered on Prime Video on 1 July, explores Elle Woods’ high school years before the events of the 2001 film Legally Blonde.
Reese originated the idea of revisiting the character in a prequel, but executive producers and showrunners Caroline Dries and Laura Kittrell said she deliberately stepped back from the day-to-day writing process while offering personal insight into the character and the era in which the series is set. The revival comes as Legally Blonde continues to enjoy enduring popularity, with Reese’s portrayal of the ambitious law student remaining one of the defining performances of her career alongside films including Walk the Line, Wild and Election, as well as her acclaimed television work on Big Little Lies and The Morning Show.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Caroline described Reese’s involvement in developing the series.
She said: “She wasn’t in the weeds with us that much with the story. She read the outline for season one and came in and asked questions about it.
“And then she would just throw out these nuggets of gold about her experience, or she’d be like, ‘What about this or this?’ And you’re just like, ‘Yes, please!’”
Caroline said Reese also wanted the series to authentically capture the experience of growing up during the 1990s.
She added Reese shared perspectives on “the high-school experience” during the decade “she wanted to make sure we were hitting.”
Caroline added: “She knew that we would do the Easter eggs.”
Laura said Reese also encouraged the writers to include “specific ’90s experiences and feelings” that reflected the world in which Elle grew up.
Caroline added the production team “cherish(ed)” Reese’s ideas before expanding them for the series, while praising the actress for allowing the writers creative freedom.
She also said Reese “kept a really respectful distance” and “just let us do what we wanted to do”.
Executive producer and director Jason Moore also said Reese drew on her own experiences as a parent while discussing the younger version of Elle.
Reese is the mother of Ava Phillippe, Deacon Phillippe and Tennessee Toth.
Jason said: “Reese is a mom, so she brought a lot of her like, ‘Here’s what my kids were going through and what I remember about being a young girl’.”
He added: “The thing that I found amazing – that I thought might be more difficult – is how generous she was with it. I think she realises she is Elle Woods, but Elle Woods has come to represent things for a lot of people.
“In all of our meetings, she wanted to hear new ideas.”
Executive producer Lauren Neustadter also revealed Reese insisted casting begin with an open audition process rather than targeting established young actors.
Lauren said: “She really felt like the Elle Woods thing to do was give every young woman an opportunity to try out if they wanted to.”
According to Lauren, the production received “thousands and thousands of tapes” after launching the open casting call in September 2024 before announcing Lexi’s casting four months later.
Lauren said: “Lexi really just popped for us.
“Her slate was so funny. She did the Harvard admissions video, but her sort of spin on it, and then her reading was just incredible.”
Reese first introduced audiences to Elle Woods in Legally Blonde in 2001 before returning for Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde in 2003.
The character has since become a cultural touchstone, with the famous Harvard admissions video, the “bend and snap” sequence and Elle’s courtroom triumphs remaining among the most recognisable moments in modern comedy.
The new prequel explores the experiences that shaped the optimistic and determined teenager long before she arrived at Harvard Law School.
