Prequel series Elle has been tainted with criticism since it premiered this month, with Legally Blonde fans and critics claiming it doesn’t make any sense. Considering Elle Woods (played by Reese Witherspoon in the films) has to go through a self-discovery arc at Harvard, why would she be going through the same story arc as a teenager in Seattle?
While Elle does feel like a slight rehash of the Legally Blonde plot, it’s still joyous and fun. Lexi Minetree, who plays Elle Woods in the series, told Rolling Stone AU/NZ that this criticism doesn’t add up.
“A big criticism is like, if she already went to Seattle, how would she have gone through it [again] at Harvard?” Minetree said. “We all go through many different hardships in life, and I wish we only went through one, but we move, and we meet new people, and we have to learn, and we’re always growing.”
For the young actor, it made sense that Elle would go through multiple experiences of change and growth before the Legally Blonde movie. “In the movie she is so confident, and I was always wondering how did she get to be like that?”
Minetree did acknowledge that the original movies are extremely popular, and understands why there has been such a visceral reaction.
“I respect how much people care about this character and the show, and it’s very precious to them, so that’s why people hold it to such a high standard,” she said. “I hope that people can look past that, and I think if they give it a shot, they’ll enjoy it.”
Other people have asked why a prequel was needed at all, but Minetree said that having Elle Woods back in the zeitgeist is a good thing. “Especially now there’s so much negativity in the world, I think it’s really nice to have a character out there who sees the world in such a beautiful way, and it’s another way for girls to have a role model,” she explained.
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And along with the lessons about aftercare for perms and how to solve a crime, there are tangible things from Elle Woods we can all stand to learn.
“It’s not about the mistakes you make, it’s how you handle it,” Minetree said. “It’s about having integrity and owning what you do, and I think in the show you get to see someone who’s not prideful, and really takes ownership of who she is and [her] mistakes.”
Elle Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.
