How “Elle”’s Lexi Minetree Landed the Lead Role in “Legally Blonde” Prequel: ‘This Is a Whole New World’ (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Elle star Lexi Minetree talks about stepping into the iconic shoes of the beloved Legally Blonde character in this week’s issue

• Minetree, 25, details her approach for her self-tape, which immediately caught the eye of Reese Witherspoon

• “Sometimes I wonder if it has fully settled in,” she admits of the dream-come-true role

A pink sparkly bikini was the first thing Lexi Minetree bought after seeing the open casting call for the Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle, in September 2024. “I just knew in the moment, I have to be so extra. I have to recreate her Harvard admissions video,” says the 25-year-old actress—so she did just that. “I filmed it in my house and edited it together. It took me forever. I remember thinking, ‘Who knows if casting will ever watch this, but if they do, I think they’ll pause.’”

It’s safe to say Minetree was right. Reese Witherspoon, who originated the role of beloved sorority girl-turned-powerhouse lawyer, Elle Woods, in the 2001 film and is an executive producer on Elle, has said that Minetree’s audition tape “took my breath away.” She hand-picked the young actress to be the star of the new Prime Video series, which follows the character in high school as she is uprooted from Bel-Air to start over in Seattle. Witherspoon even personally delivered the exciting news to Minetree after a four-month audition process.

“I was sweating really bad during the auditions, that’s for sure, but I did absolutely everything that I could to get it,” Minetree says. “I was really proud of myself.”

A “total theater kid” since high school, the Atlanta native says acting began as a hobby. “Then one day, I was like, ‘Well, I’m good at nothing else, so I think I should just continue doing this,’” she recalls. Majoring in theater at the University of Southern California, Minetree also tacked on a public relations major (as a “backup” to help her parents sleep at night) and credits a semester abroad in London for being especially inspirational.

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“British actors take their craft very seriously,” she explains. “They were like, ‘If you’re not showing up 30 minutes early to warm up for this class, you’re late.’”

The actress took that to heart and applied that insight on the set of Elle. “Every morning, I would do a 20-minute warmup for my voice and body because I just wanted to show up ready,” she says. “I was always muttering lines from the movie to myself to get into the voice and character. I’m sure some people really thought I was losing my marbles.”

With Elle’s distinct traits, not to mention her impeccable wardrobe, Minetree was determined to keep her own identity separate from the iconic character. “Something I did really intentionally was every day—even if I woke up at 4 a.m., or I didn’t have any time to get ready—I wore my own clothes,” she recalls. “I didn’t show up in PJs or sweatpants, because in my head, I was like, ‘Even if I only get to be Lexi Minetree for 30 minutes of the day, I want to cherish those minutes.’”

While the actress has been praised for her similarities to Elle, “I wanted to remind myself, I’m not her. It was important to feel like me.”

As season 1 of the show premieres — with season 2 also already in the can — Minetree insists she’s continually trying to wrap her head around her new reality. “Sometimes I wonder if it has fully settled in,” she says. “I think every day it hits me.”

Even more so now that she has Witherspoon, 50, in her contacts. “It’s crazy that I can FaceTime her at any moment. I won’t, but I could,” she says, laughing. Witherspoon, who was often on set, has “been amazing through this whole process,” Minetree adds.

“She’s just been really, really wonderful in making sure that I’m doing okay, checking in, making sure that I’m getting enough rest. I feel like she’s going to be someone who’ll be a mentor for me for the rest of my life, and I’m very honored.”

Elle is now streaming on Prime Video.

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