Lexi Minetree headlines the Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle, which is set to release on Prime Video next week. The series revolves around a younger version of Elle Woods who deals with friendship, high school, heartbreak and other experiences which help mould her into the optimistic and confident woman that viewers known her to be.
Since this is a prequel, Minetree took an effort to understand all aspects of her role, from how she carries herself and speaks to the attributes that viewers have come to adore in her.
Talking about how she prepared for the character, Lexi Minetree said, "I must have watched Legally Blonde over 150 times during the casting process, and then even more after I got the role. At one point, I could probably do a one-woman show of it."
The actor added, "For me, I didn’t just want to get her attitude and resilience and charm — I really wanted to nail her voice, mannerisms, and movement. That’s such an important part of the character. It would be so easy to play her as a stereotype or do a valley girl accent, but Elle doesn’t have any of that. She’s very specific. There’s a melodic quality to her voice and a really perky physicality. Every single morning, I’d do a voice and body warm-up. When you wake up at 4:00 am, you can sound pretty rough, and I needed to get my voice to a bright, lifted place. I worked with this wonderful voice coach, Kate Wilson, who helped me find the right placement. It’s all connected - the attitude, the energy, and the voice all work in tandem."
Minetree also disclosed an advice she received from Reese Witherspoon, who played Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, which helped prepare for her role. She said, "Reese has been so wonderful throughout this whole process. One thing that really stuck with me was a moment she pointed out from the movie — when Elle is talking to Warner after everything, and he suddenly wants her back. She has every opportunity to call him out, and she doesn’t. She never goes low. She always takes the high road. She’s never a bully, even to people who are unkind to her. Reese reminded me of that, and for me, that’s the core of who Elle is. I try to hold onto that in scenes when she could easily lash out.”
Creator, showrunner and executive producer Laura Kittrell's series, Elle's first season also stars June Diane Raphael as the titular character's mother Eva, Tom Everett Scott as her father Wyatt, Jacob Moskovitz, Gabrielle Policano, Chandler Kinney, Zac Looker, and Amy Pietz. The series is set to drop on Prime Video on July 01, Wednesday.
