Lexi Minetree has been selected to play young Elle Woods in Elle, the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series on Prime Video. The announcement was made by Reese Witherspoon, who originated the role in the 2001 film, and was shared in a video on her Instagram where she personally delivered the news to Minetree. The series is expected to explore Elle Woods’s high school years, shedding light on the experiences that shaped her into the confident and ambitious woman that audiences first met at Harvard Law.
Witherspoon has expressed her enthusiasm for the project, revealing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that she was inspired to develop the series after watching the success of Wednesday on Netflix. “I saw that Wednesday Addams show, I loved it, I watched every single episode,” Witherspoon said. “I was like, ‘We should do Elle Woods in high school!’ Because I wanted to see who she was before college, before law school, and I started having all these ideas.”
She also discussed how watching all the auditions for the role of young Elle made it “a really hard decision” to find the right actress for the part, but they finally found her. Here, get to know Minetree before she bends and snaps onto our screens.
Minetree is a rising talent.
Minetree is relatively new to the entertainment industry, with Elle marking her first major lead role. However, she has already built a resume with appearances in television projects such as Law & Order: SVU, The Murdaugh Murders, Crowdsource Murder, and The Paramedic Who Stalked Me. Minetree seemingly has a wide range as an actress, considering her background in both dramatic and true-crime narratives and the vibrant, comedic energy of Elle.
She graduated from the University of Southern California.
Minetree pursued her passion for acting at the University of Southern California, where she double-majored in theater and public relations, per her LinkedIn profile. She graduated in May 2024.
Minetree’s role as Elle Woods was the result of a nationwide search.
Minetree secured the role of Elle Woods through a competitive audition process. Witherspoon and her production company, Hello Sunshine, conducted an extensive search to find the perfect actress to embody the younger version of the iconic character. Witherspoon, who’s also an executive producer on Elle, has spoken about how challenging it was to select just one actress among the many talented performers who auditioned. However, Minetree stood out, with Witherspoon remarking that their similarities were almost uncanny. “When I saw her tape, I was like, ‘Are we the same person?’” Witherspoon joked when speaking to Minetree’s mom during their video call.
Minetree herself reacted skeptically when Witherspoon surprised her with the news. “Really? Can I hug you please?” she asked, before embracing the Oscar-winning actress. True to character, she then pumped her fist and shouted, “ME!”—a nod to Elle Woods’ reaction when securing her legal internship in the original film.
On Instagram, Minetree expressed her excitement, writing, “Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to @reesewitherspoon for handing me down Elle Woods. I already love her so so much, I promise she’s in good hands. P.S. thank you for showing me how amazing I am going to look in the future, soooo looking forward to that:).”
