Star Lexi Minetree on stepping into Reese Witherspoon’s most iconic role In LEGALLY BLONDE prequel ELLE
Imagine being hired to play a young Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. “It’s one of those things that, if you would have told me even three years ago, I would have said, ‘You’re joking. There’s no way,’ ” says Lexi Minetree, the 25-year-old American actress cast to play the role in the prequel series Elle. “I feel so lucky because, as an actor, the goal is just to be able to do your work. So, to be given not only a wonderful, wonderful character, but such a wonderful group of women to work with, it’s literally a dream,” she tells TV Week.
The women Minetree are referring to are, of course, Witherspoon herself, who serves as the series’ executive producer, and showrunners Laura Kittrell (Insecure) and Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries), who supported the relative newcomer through the strenuous Burnaby-based production. “It was definitely a big undertaking,” says Minetree. “When I first looked at it, I was like, ‘Oh wow, how am I going to do this?’ Because I’m No. 1 on the call sheet of a show with 450 pages of script. It was five months of filming, and out of that I had two days off, and you’re working 12-15-hour days . . . But you know what? I think, the bigger the challenge, the more reward you feel when you come out the other end.”
TV Week caught up with Minetree, who opened up about the pressures of stepping into the heels of the ultimate L.A. blonde as she journeys to mid-’90s Seattle and the heart of the grunge movement.
What did the franchise mean to you coming in?
I have always been a big Legally Blonde fan. I don’t remember the first time I watched it, but I thought, “This girl is so fun and cool.” The more that I watched the movie when I was preparing for the audition, the more I was like, “Whoa, this girl is so smart.” Even when she’s at UCLA, she has a wicked vocabulary, but she’s also so kind and put-together. And the whole movie, you get to see her navigate new waters and prove to everyone what she’s capable of. I think this show is more of that and getting to see Elle Woods in this whole new world.
Tell us about Elle as a 16-year-old. Who is she? What is she like?
She’s the best. I love her. If you’ve seen the movie, she’s that same bubbly, optimistic girl. The only difference is that she’s in high school, which are dark days for so many of us — but she looks good doing it. She’s navigating who she is and you get to see her in these scenarios where she gets put to the test for what she stands for as a person. I think high school are the years that you get to discover who you are, who you want to be and find your tribe. And because Elle is in this new world that she’s not used to, her tricks of the trade don’t work. That’s such a good lesson for us to take away — that failure means you’re going in the right direction, because it means you’re trying something new and you’re putting yourself out there. Watching Elle fail is one of the best things ever because she is hilarious doing it.
The films are so specific in tone. What do you think Laura has done so well in terms of continuing that legacy?
I think Laura has put Elle in the funniest situation possible, which is pink Elle Woods with her pink umbrella in grungy dark Seattle. I got rained on so many times on set, you don’t even know. When you’re on take five of getting drenched, you’re like, “Get me out.” But what I think makes this such a special show is that not only is it taking that heart and humour of the original, but I also think it becomes its own thing and plays to the actors’ strengths. Every time I act with a different person, I feel like it brings out a different version of Elle, which is so cool.
How do you go about embodying Elle Woods?
Well, lots and lots of caffeine. Every morning, I do a vocal and body warm-up because sometimes I get picked up at 4 a.m. in the morning and I’m looking haggard and sounding horrible, but she’s so chipper and her voice is so high and melodic that I want, no matter if it’s 4 a.m. or midnight, to be able to bring that energy. I also never judge her. I love her so much as a character and I think that if you go in thinking she’s shallow, you’ve already lost. Even when she’s saying something slightly ridiculous, she’s so earnest and she cares so much. And that’s what I really wanted to bring to this character, as well as my own humour.
Did you aim to sound like Reese?
Yeah. When I watched the movie an ungodly amount of times, I probably drove my roommates crazy, just mimicking her and trying to get the voice down. Even in the mornings or whenever I want to get into the voice, I’ll say little phrases from the movie. I’ll be like, “What? Like it’s hard?” I go into those voices to get me into her world. And of course the words I’m saying for the show are different than the movie, but it’s the same life force. And what’s really cool though is all the different situations she’s in. Sometimes they’re really grounded and beautiful. I’ve learned lessons from this character about my own life in very deep, moving ways.
What has she taught you?
I feel like she’s really made me believe in myself even when you have a voice in your head that has doubts or with people in general who plant those seeds. I think every one of us has encountered moments of, “Oh my God, what am I doing? Am I being ridiculous? Are my dreams too big? Am I capable of this thing?” And I think the most important part isn’t not feeling those things, but it’s what you do after that really shows your character and your integrity.
The show is set in 1995 Seattle. What do you love about that era now that you’ve gotten to immerse yourself in it?
First of all, I love the music. I love ’90s music so much. I mean, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette — you had some really cool women during that time period making some really cool music. And they’re so angry and I love it. But what I really love about it is that you really see that everyone is, whether they want to or not, forced to be present and engage with other people because there’s nothing that they can distract themselves with. A lot of times I’ve been in situations where I feel awkward or uncomfortable and you go on your phone. It’s like a crutch. When you go back to the ’90s, they didn’t have that in the same way.
Elle moves to this new place and it’s not as easy just to talk to your friends who are back home, so you have to engage in this new world. That’s really inspiring to me. So, I feel like I’ve been also trying to put myself out there more and engage in new worlds as well.
This show is also James Van Der Beek’s final performance before his passing. What was it like to interact with him?
He was so incredible to work with. I remember when we first met, we were in the hair-and-makeup trailer and my first impression was how gracious he was to everyone. And watching him act, he has such a natural charisma and he brings so much heart and humour to this character. I felt very honoured that we got to work with him and I was heartbroken to hear about his [passing]. But again, I think the wonderful thing about art is that in films and TV your legacy gets to live on and I’m really excited for people to get to see him in this way.
Lastly, how are you meeting the outside expectations of what people want to see from Elle Woods?
I really try to live by the philosophy of what’s in my control and what’s not. All I can do is be me and bring my version of Elle to the table and I hope people like it. I like it. I think it’s fun, but I think I’ve learned that you can’t force everyone to like you. I think Elle learned that, too. She wants so bad for everyone to love her and like her and you’re not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But I hope I’m a flavour everyone likes. I do my best and I hope it resonates. That’s all I can ask for.
Elle streams on Prime Video