Lexi Minetree is grateful she has Reese Witherspoon in her corner while filming the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series Elle.
“She’s just the best. She’s so warm and so caring,” Minetree, 23, who plays the younger version of Witherspoon’s character, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Amazon Upfronts on Monday, May 12. “She’s always checking in with me.”
Minetree felt thankful for the support Witherspoon, 49, has shown her, adding, “[She’s] making sure I’m drinking enough water, making sure I’m getting enough rest and making sure I’m just taking in every moment, which I really appreciate. She’s amazing.”
While preparing to embody the role of Elle Woods, Minetree recalled watching the original movie “over 50 times.”
“As for making it my own, one of the directors, Jason Moore, said something that really stuck with me. He said, ‘Do the work, do the prep and then throw it away and let your instinct take over,'” she shared with Us. “That’s really what I’ve tried to take to heart and add my own little thing to it.”
Based on Amanda Brown‘s novel, the 2001 movie Legally Blonde introduced Us to Elle Woods (Witherspoon), a sorority girl who attempted to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner (Matthew Davis) by attending Harvard Law School. Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge rounded out the cast, which inspired a second movie two years later.
News broke in 2018 that Witherspoon had teamed up with Mindy Kaling for Legally Blonde 3 — but there has been no real update since. Instead, the focus has shifted to Prime Video’s prequel series Elle, which according to the official synopsis follows the titular character in high school as “we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love in the first Legally Blonde film. In other words, get ready for the teen years of this legendary lawyer’s story.”
“Elle is in high school so she’s still trying to figure out who she is as a person,” Minetree teased on Monday. “She definitely loves fashion, just like she did in the movie. But again, I think what audiences are going to love is [that] she really gets to discover herself during this time.”
Joining the project has made Minetree even more appreciative of Elle’s favorite color, adding, “I do think I definitely need to love pink now but I’ve always enjoyed it, which I think is a good thing.”
As for who from the original movie Minetree would like to see make a cameo? “I would love it if Jennifer Coolidge can make an appearance,” she noted. “She’s just the best. Who doesn’t love Jennifer Coolidge?”
In addition to Minetree, Elle’s parents will be played by June Diane Raphael and Tom Everett Scott. Chandler Kinney, Gabrielle Policano and Jacob Moskovitz were also announced as series regulars.
Elle will premiere in summer 2026 on Prime Video.
