Lexi Minetree is The New Elle Woods

It’s time to meet the next Elle Woods

Bright-eyed and charming, Lexi Minetree may not have been on your radar. Now, the 25-year-old actress is getting her big break—a star for a new generation. And, it’s all thanks to her role as Elle Woods in “Elle”, the prequel to the iconic and beloved film, “Legally Blonde”. The stars are aligning for her, so we caught up with her for a candid conversation about her role, the journey and everything in between.

From her trademark blond curls to her perpetually optimistic persona and steadfast love of pink, Elle Woods was—and still is—an icon to many of us today. A replica of Reese Witherspoon’s character with her bouncy blonde hair and blue eyes, Minetree was the perfect actress for the role. “My whole life, everyone told me I looked like Reese Witherspoon,” she said. “Random people on the street would come up to me, unprompted and say, ‘You know who you look like? Reese Witherspoon’”. So, naturally, there was no reason she wouldn’t audition for the role.

Stepping into the shoes of an iconic character as beloved as Elle Woods would be daunting for anyone. But, Minetree stole the show with her grace, wit and determination. “As a human being—when you care about something—you put a lot of time into it. You never know how it’s going to play out, and you always hope for the best outcome,” she said. “Reese laid out such an incredible blueprint for me to look at. The fact that the movie came out in 2001 and it’s still so iconic is a testament to that.”

In conversation with Lexi Minetree:

Can you walk us through the audition process?

They asked for a self-tape of some scenes from the film and for a slate—your name, height, where you’re based and in 30 seconds and why’d you be good Elle Woods. I remembered after seeing that, I knew exactly what I had to do. I had to recreate her iconic Harvard admissions video, the one where she’s in the sparkly pink bikini and in the hot tub. I made a whole script, edited the video and put music over it. It took me, god knows how long, but I think casting might have liked it.

What were your emotions like when you landed the role?

I was in shock and awe, and I was really proud. I put so much heart and soul into this character, and to hear it from Reese herself that I got it was such a life-changing moment—the biggest one of my entire life. I’m honoured I get to play such an incredible character that I think is such a wonderful role model for young women. I hope that the next generation of girls gets to see this and gets inspired by her as so many already are.

Elle Woods is such an iconic character. How did you approach honouring that legacy while making the role your own?

Since this is the prequel, I wanted to make sure that we get to see someone who’s in high school and who’s figuring things out. When I was in high school, I was a mess, and I still probably am. But, I wanted to bring that kind of earnestness to Elle and the kind of girl who’s still navigating new waters and maybe sometimes failing, but failing so kindly. And I wanted to also add my own touch of Lexi to the character and my own silliness.

How did you prepare for the role? Was there any particular thing you did that helped shape the character even more?

[Laughing] I watched the movie an ungodly number of times. At one point, I think I could have done a one-woman show of it. But, when I was approaching this character—like every character that I do—you kind of have to find your own way in. For me, I knew her mannerisms and voice were important. So, I worked very hard on the voice work. Every morning before I go into the scenes, I do a vocal and body warmup to make sure my voice is ready to go because she has a higher register, and she kind of has this melodic quality to her voice.

There were a couple of parallel scenes in the show that people have developed a connection with from the film. Was there any pressure for you to recreate those scenes?

The Legally Blonde fans are going to be very happy with all the little fun Easter eggs we have hidden—an homage to the movie. I wouldn’t say I felt pressure necessarily, because I had such an incredible support system around me, like Reese and Lauren, who is the head of Hell Sunshine and the showrunners, who are both women. So I felt very supported. Honestly, it was really fun. You see yourself rise to the challenge and do things you didn’t think you were capable of, like hitting a note that could break glass.

Elle Woods’ wardrobe is synonymous with a very specific aesthetic—pink, polished, unapologetically feminine. Was there a specific outfit or look that you loved wearing?

It was the outfits where Bruiser and I had matching ones. They were so cute,

So the show is renewed for a second season. How does that make you feel?

It makes me feel like this [screaming and smiling] No, I’m thrilled. I mean, when I’m on set, I feel like I’m at summer camp and I get to go back to summer camp again with my favourite people on the planet. I love the cast and the crew so much, and truly, they make it all worth it. I love this story. I love the script. I love this character, and I’m so grateful that we get to go do this again.