After much anticipation, Elle has officially arrived on Prime Video.
The Legally Blonde prequel series has been a long time coming. Fans have begging to learn Elle Woods’ origin story since the film’s original debuted 25 years ago.
Elle follows the story of a young Elle Woods—before the sorority life, questionable boyfriends, iconic fashion, and becoming a Harvard Law School legend. Set in 1995, the series takes a look at what Elle was like in high school. Throughout the show, she encounters new friendships, forbidden romances, and typical teenage drama, while helps her evolve into the confident iconic character we met in the 2001 film.
The series was originally green lit in 2024, and fans were sad to hear that Reese Witherspoon herself would not make an appearance, despite her being an executive producer of the show. However, do not worry because Elle Woods is in good hands! Get to know the actress stepping into Elle’s iconic pink shoes.
Who is Lexi Minetree?
Lexi Minetree is a 25 year old American actress. Originally from Georgia, she graduated from the University of Southern California with a double major in Theatre and Public Relations. She also trained at the British American Drama Academy in London. Prior to getting the role of Elle Woods, she was featured in an episode of Law & Order: SVU.
Minetree was discovered during an open casting call for the Elle series. Four months after the casting call was posted, Witherspoon announced Minetree got the role via Instagram. Minetree submitted her own version of Elle Woods’ iconic Harvard admissions video, which endeared her to the production team.
What is Elle a prequel series to?
Elle is the prequel to the iconic early 2000’s rom com Legally Blonde. If you have never seen the movie, you absolutely should. The movie follows Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) who has everything she could ever ask for… expect a proposal from boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis). Instead of asking her to marry him before going to Harvard Law School; Warner breaks up with her citing that he “needs to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn.” Elle is devastated, but rallies all of her resources and gets into the prestigious law program in order to win him back.
It’s a story of empowerment, confidence, and its cultural significance has stood the test of time.
What has Reese Witherspoon said about Lexi Minetree?
Reese Witherspoon was heavily involved in the casting for Elle. As the original Elle Woods and executive producer, it is no doubt that the production of this series meant a lot to her. In a video from the New York City premiere, Witherspoon got emotional talking about passing the torch of Elle Woods. “I have to tell you, when I saw Lexi Minetree in her video, it stopped me. It took my breath away. She understood. I’m gonna cry again, she’s just such an incredible person.”
After seeing her audition tape, Witherspoon knew she wanted to sit down with Minetree. “We did a Zoom, and she didn’t know that she basically already had the job,” Witherspoon told the audience. “I was like, ‘I want you to understand the responsibility of what this means to people. Little girls are gonna come up to you, and it’s like a massive responsibility.’”
Where to watch Elle.
Elle is now available to stream on Prime Video.