Reese Witherspoon and Lexi Minetree (right). Image: Instagram/@reesewitherspoon, @leximinetree
Reese Witherspoon has officially introduced young actress Lexi Minetree as the next Elle Woods for the upcoming “Legally Blonde” prequel series titled “Elle.”
On Instagram, Witherspoon shared a clip of her meeting with Minetree where she playfully broke the news that the latter got the role.
The former Elle Woods star tried to downplay the situation by setting a negative-sounding intro to make it appear that Minetree might not have gotten the role.
“Your audition tape was amazing, as we talked about and we had to make a really hard decision the other day. And we wanted to tell you in person because you’ve worked really hard,” said Witherspoon in a low, worrying voice.
Minetree, who appeared to be worried, continued to listen to Witherspoon, “We just wanted to tell you that you don’t have to audition anymore because you got the part. You’re Elle Woods.”
Minetree broke into tears before she and Witherspoon engaged in a warm embrace. The two actresses continued to celebrate and went on to call the former’s mom to announce the great news.
On her Instagram page, Minetree penned a gratitude message to the people who made her casting possible.
“Ok ok ok, my brain is going nuts over here I don’t even know where to BEGIN. Probably with the thank you’s…ya that’s a good place to start normally, nice thinking Lexi!” began the young actress as she went on to mention the people she is indebted to.
Minetree then assured Witherspoon that Elle Woods is in good hands as she also went on to thank her hairdresser for making her blonde, a significant trait that the character is known for.
“Thank you to [reesewitherspoon] for handing me down Elle Woods. I already love her so much, I promise she’s in good hands. P.S. Thank you for showing me how amazing I am going to look in the future, so I’m looking forward to that,” she said.
“Oh and lastly, thank you to the hairdresser who made me blonde in May when I had a random whim to change my hair (as I often do once a year)…. I owe you big time!!” Minetree concluded her post.
In the prequel series, Witherspoon will reprise her role as the older Elle Woods, while Minetree will play the younger one.
“Elle” is expected to follow Elle Woods in high school, showing her experiences that shaped her into the young woman viewers came to know and love in the first 2001 “Legally Blonde” film.
According to Box Office Mojo, the first “Legally Blonde” movie earned over $140 million worldwide while the second installment “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde,” grossed over $100 million at the box office.
Over the years, Witherspoon has expressed her desire to return for a third “Legally Blonde” film, but during the time that “Legally Blonde 3” was being discussed, the pandemic came.