Lexi Minetree was handpicked by Reese Witherspoon to play Elle Woods in the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel Elle, which has already been renewed for season two.
Appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, the 25-year-old actress wore the same Marc Jacobs pink dress that Witherspoon originally wore to the Legally Blonde premiere in 2001.
Fallon made a fuss over the frock, too, which was borrowed with Witherspoon’s blessing from the latter’s organized and color-coordinated closet that serves as a personal museum for her career and designer wardrobe.
This wasn’t the first time Minetree had been inspired by Witherspoon’s portrayal of the free-spirited character.
During the audition process, she said the casting people wanted ’30 seconds of why you’ll be a good Elle Woods.’
‘And I remember seeing that and thinking, “I could say I’m blonde and I’m from the South too, but I know what I have to do. I have to recreate her Harvard admissions video,”‘ she told Fallon.
Appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, Elle star Lexi Minetree, left, wore the same Marc Jacobs pink dress that Witherspoon, right, originally wore to the Legally Blonde premiere in 2001
‘I don’t know if anyone remembers, but in the movie, she basically applies to Harvard [and] instead of writing an essay, she puts on this sparkly pink bikini and she goes in the hot tub.
‘And she goes, “Hi, I’m going to tell all of you at Harvard why I’m going to make an amazing Elle Woods.” And I thought, “You know what? That’s what I’m going to do.”‘
The new, which releases on Prime Video on July 1, follows a teenage Elle Woods as she navigates Beverly Hills High School, fashion choices and challenges that help her to become the confident and empowered young woman that fans grew to love in the films.
The Atlanta, Georgia native shared that people have often told her she looks like Witherspoon.
‘It’s actually spooky because even when I was a brunette, random people would come to me and say, “You know who you look like? You look like Reese Witherspoon.” I was like thank you very much. That is a huge compliment,’ Minetree said.
She also revealed that she watched Legally Blonde 150 times to prepare for the role.
Witherspoon, for her part, said that watching Minetree step into her shoes has been ‘one of the most gratifying experiences of my career.’
‘Twenty-five years after the world met Elle Woods for the first time, it’s a dream come true to share the story of how she became the unstoppable force we all fell in love with,’ Witherspoon said.
The archival dress was borrowed with Witherspoon’s blessing from the latter’s closet that serves as a personal museum for her career and designer wardrobe
The Atlanta, Georgia native also told Fallon that she recreated Elle’s Harvard admissions video – in which she wears a sparkly pink bikini – as part of the audition process for the prequel
The new series bows on Prime Video on July 1 and follows a teenage Elle Woods as she navigates Beverly Hills High School, fashion choices and challenges
Witherspoon, pictured in the first Legally Blonde film, has said: ‘Discovering Lexi Minetree and watching her step into Elle’s fabulous shoes has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my career’
‘Discovering Lexi Minetree and watching her step into Elle’s fabulous shoes has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my career.
‘I think our series’ themes of kindness, authenticity, and believing in yourself will resonate deeply with fans of the original films and new audiences alike.
‘Working with our incredible Hello Sunshine team, Amazon and our visionary writers and directors to bring Elle’s high school journey to life has been a tremendous joy.’
She added: ‘I can’t wait to share Season One with the world and start rolling cameras on Season Two!’
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