Lexi Minetree reveals how Reese Witherspoon ‘checked in’ during Elle filming

By Pierra Willix, Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter

Lexi Minetree has explained how Reese Witherspoon would “always check in” on her during the filming of Elle.

The 25-year-old American actress stars as the teenage Elle Woods in new Legally Blonde prequel series.

Speaking to the Press Association at a special screening of the series, Minetree detailed how the star of the original movie – who is also an executive producer – would regularly make sure she was taking care of herself.

“One thing that she (Witherspoon) does is so sweet, is that she’s always checking in on me and making sure I am taking care of myself, because when you’re doing something like this, it’s a juggernaut project,” she said.

“Of the five months filming 15-hour days, I had two days off. And she was like: ‘Are you drinking water, are you sleeping?’ And, of course, I go: ‘No, I’m not, I should do more of that.’”

She added: “Making sure my body, mind and spirit were all healthy was important, especially playing a character like Elle, who is so lovely, and you need to have that energy there. So, having her there to check in on me and making sure I was doing those things is amazing.”

Set in 1995, Elle follows the character years before she was a fish-out-of-water at Harvard – and is instead facing the tumultuous waters of high school where she encounters tricky friendships, forbidden romance, and questionable fashion choices.

Speaking about stepping into the shoes of the beloved character, Minetree said she felt pressure following in Witherspoon’s footsteps.

“I always would flip back and forth. There are moments where I was like: ‘Oh, I got this in the bag,’ and then there are moments where I was like: ‘Oh no,’ but I think the reason why I felt that way is because she means so much to me,” she said.

“The fact that 25 years later people are going to law school because of her… I truly love Elle so much. I feel like she brought out my favourite version of myself. I am really proud of what I did and put my heart into it.”

Explaining why she felt the character was still so relevant today, the actress said: “I still think very feminine things are looked down upon by society, you know. But what I’m hoping is young girls see this and say: ‘Oh, it’s actually cool to be girly, and it’s cool to be feminine, and to care about people, and to care about things.’”

Tom Everett Scott – who plays Elle’s father Wyatt – said he was away with his own daughter when he was asked to audition for the series, and they decided to watch the original film together to prepare.

“I remember seeing it when it came out in the theatres, and I love it, it’s a perfect movie. But my daughter was telling me how inspirational the character of Elle Woods was for her and I thought I had to get the job and felt so much pressure.

“Luckily I got it, and we were able to celebrate that together. It’s just been really wonderful, and such an honour to be part of this.”

With his daughter inspired by the original character, Scott said that the teenage version of Elle could also teach young women important lessons too.

“I think it’s more of the same, like you’ve got to give yourself permission to make mistakes, and even though things might be tough, they will get through it, and to also be determined but also be friendly and to make friends and not judge a book by its cover.

“All these really wonderful themes that are in this series.”

Gabrielle Policano, who plays Elle’s classmate Liz, said that everyone on set felt pressure to “do the film justice”.

“Elle Woods is like a real cultural phenomenon 25 years after the movie. And we just wanted to give people a little insight to how she got to be the confident awesome woman she is. So, I hope they love it,” she said.

Elle also stars June Diane Raphael, Jacob Moskovitz, Chandler Kinney, and Zac Looker.

Based on Amanda Brown’s novel of the same name, Legally Blonde was released in 2001 and was followed by Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde two years later.

The original grossed 142 million dollars (£107 million) worldwide on a budget of 18 million dollars (£13 million).

It was also nominated for two Golden Globes.

Elle is streaming from Wednesday July 1 on Prime Video.