We’re only days away from the Legally Blonde prequel series Elle premiering, after anticipating it on the 2026 TV schedule for a hot (pink) minute. Not only does the new Elle Woods, Lexi Minetree, totally look like Reese Witherspoon, but she got to develop a relationship with the OG Elle and even received some A+ advice.
Since Reese Witherspoon is a producer on Elle through her Hello Sunshine banner, she really got to know Lexi Minetree. Speaking about that, the 25-year-old actress recalled one piece of advice Witherspoon gave to her:
[She told me], ‘Always choose kindness and never go low, even when other people do.' Because I think with Elle, the biggest thing is that no matter what people have done to her, she always gives them the benefit of the doubt and forgives them.
What wonderful insight from the original Elle Woods! Elle marks Minetree’s first time leading her own TV show after filming her version of the character’s Harvard admission essay as her audition for the role. You can check out the video that got her in the door below:
Minetree also recently revealed that she watched Legally Blonde something like 150 times and could probably do a “one-woman show” of the classic after spending so many hours revisiting the 2001 film. It’s not easy to follow a role that’s so memorably executed by Reese Witherspoon. However, it sounds like the new actress took on the part with a lot of drive and enthusiasm.
Reese Witherspoon has had nothing but glowing things to say about Lexi Minetree too, as she says she has a “beautiful heart” and has made her “proud to pass the baton”. Along with Witherspoon being by Minetree's side for Elle, the series also stars June Diane Raphael as Elle’s mom Eva, Tom Everett Scott as her dad Wyatt, along with Chandler Kinney, Jacob Moskovitz, Gabriellle Policano and Zac Looker as the other high school students in the show.
Elle also happens to be the late James Van Der Beek’s last role. The actor plays the part of mayoral candidate Dean Wilson in the show, and was given an emotional shoutout by the show’s creator during the New York City premiere earlier this week. The series was created by The Vampire Diaries writer Caroline Dries and Insecure’s Laura Kittrell.
The prequel follows a 16-year-old Elle Woods circa 1995 as her family moves out to Seattle from Los Angeles, starting her at the bottom of the high school food chain and very out of place. You can see Lexi Minetree’s interpretation of Elle Woods yourself when Season 1 of Elle comes out in full on Wednesday, July 1 on Prime Video.
