Elle star Lexi Minetree says copying Reese Witherspoon ‘would be a disservice’

Filling Reese Witherspoon’s pink and sparkly shoes as Elle Woods is a daunting task for anyone.

But for Lexi Minetree, who stars as a younger version of the character in the new Amazon Prime Video Legally Blonde prequel series Elle, they fit like a glove.

The 25-year-old, whose previous credits include Law and Order: SVU, plays the titular character as she navigates moving from glamorous Los Angeles to the grungy Seattle, where she attends a new high school.

It’s not lost on Lexi, who we spoke to ahead of season one dropping on the streamer, that this is a monumental character to take on.

There are people out there who say Reese’s Elle changed their lives – perhaps they’ve been inspired to study law, stand up for what they think is right, or feel generally more empowered as women.

Metro asked Lexi how she felt taking on that pressure: ‘Well, I took it very seriously, because when a character means that much to someone, you want to make sure that you capture that and you capture the things that made her so special.’

She praised Reese for the ‘amazing job’ she did back in 2001, but admitted she’d never be able to ‘completely mimic’ her portrayal.

Lexi explained: ‘It would be a disservice because we have had different life experiences. And also it’s a character at a younger age. So I tried to bring in the essence of what made Elle, Elle. Her kindness, her silliness, her heart, and obviously, add my own life experiences.

‘I hope that this new Elle resonates with people the same way that Reese’s version did.’

This was met with resounding reassurance from two of Lexi’s castmates, who joined the rising star in her interview; Gabrielle Policano plays Liz, one of the high schoolers that Elle tries to befriend, despite their wildly different vibes. And Chandler Kinney plays Kimberly, the popular girl at school – but not exactly the type that Elle is used to.

They might not be a natural trio in the series, but off-screen, they appeared adorably close – taking every opportunity to hype one another up.

It was like watching a group of best friends who were adamant nobody should feel left out. Three was certainly not a crowd in this room.

When I asked the women what they remember most about working with Reese during production, Chandler recalled: ‘The standout moment for me was the first time I saw you guys [Lexi and Reese] standing next to each other. It was so meta and so, almost… freaky is the word that comes to mind because I’m like: “I think I’m seeing double.”‘

She described how the pair were eerily similar, from the inflexions in their voices to the words they chose to the hand gestures they used.

Reese is an executive producer and is credited with coming up with the idea for this prequel series.

Lexi opened up about her sweet relationship with the star who kick-started it all.

‘What’s so incredible, is how available she made herself to all of us.

‘The fact that I could just call her up at any time or send her a voice memo and get one back. What world am I living in now?’

Even if Reese wasn’t physically there, her presence was always felt – that’s what Zac Looker, who plays another of Elle’s classmates, Dustin, had to say about the Big Little Lies actress.

‘You always feel a sense of her will and her drive running across the entire set.’

He continued: ‘You can really tell she has a very specific vision for what she’s looking for from the show.’

Jacob Moskovitz, who plays love interest Miles, said Reese was ‘in the trenches’ with them.

He remembered how she appeared during their first block of the year, when they were filming a mosh pit scene.

Zac admitted: ‘I didn’t feel my best self that day.’

The chaotic ending to episode two sees the grungy Seattle teenagers at their grungiest as they thrash about in a sweaty club as an indie band plays on stage.

Describing the lead up to his first meet with Reese, Zac said: ‘I’d just stage dived, and they were like: “We’d like to see you over at video.” And I was like: “Oh, ok. I’m so damp right now.”‘

Luckily for Zac, it ‘turned out ok’, with The Morning Show favourite living up to her production company’s name.

Hello Sunshine created Elle, working with Prime Video to bring this glitzy prequel to our screens.

Tom Everett Scott, who plays dad Wyatt, said the company had guided them to ‘this really incredible place’.

Talking about Reese more specifically, he praised her for being ‘such an amazing leader.’

‘She’s always been inspirational. I haven’t spent a ton of time with her, but she’s an incredible person.’

Elle is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

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