See the Cast of “Elle” Side-by-Side with the Original “Legally Blonde” Stars

Emma BanksWed, July 1, 2026 at 1:30 PM UTC

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Lexi Minetree in 'Elle'; Reese Witherspoon in 'Legally Blonde'Credit: Amazon MGM Studios; MGM -

Several characters from the original Legally Blonde movie were revived for Elle, a new prequel series on Prime Video

Lexi Minetree landed the titular role of Elle Woods, which was previously made famous by Reese Witherspoon

Elle's parents Eva and Wyatt Woods and her dog Bruiser are also making their return

School is back in session for Elle Woods almost exactly 25 years after the premiere of Legally Blonde.

Simply titled Elle, the new prequel series chronicles Elle's time as a high school student in Seattle after her family relocates from Los Angeles. The role was originally made famous by Legally Blonde star Reese Witherspoon and is now being played by Lexi Minetree.

Minetree even wore her predecessor's pink Marc Jacobs dress to the premiere of Elle, which Witherspoon had originally donned for the premiere of Legally Blonde back in 2001.

"Her stylist is a friend of mine for so many years," Witherspoon later told Jimmy Fallon. "And she said to me, 'Do you have any dresses from the time period?' And I have all the wardrobe in storage."

"It's like Cinderella's slipper," the actress added. "She was meant to be Elle Woods!"

Elsewhere in Elle, the roles of Elle's parents, Eva and Wyatt, were taken on by June Diane Raphael and Tom Everett Scott, respectively. Finally, it wouldn't be a proper Legally Blonde spinoff without the return of Bruiser, Elle's dog.

Here's the cast of Elle side-by-side with the actors who originally brought the characters of Elle, Bruiser, Eva and Wyatt to life.

01 of 04

Elle Woods: Lexi Minetree and Reese Witherspoon

Lexi Minetree in 'Elle'; Reese Witherspoon in 'Legally Blonde'Credit: Amazon MGM Studios; Tracy Bennett/Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock

Minetree had seen the original Legally Blonde movie 150 times by the time she was cast in the iconic movie's prequel as a teenage Elle. The actress auditioned for the role via an open call and "blacked out," she recalled in an interview with ExtraTV, when Witherspoon told her she got the part.

Speaking of Witherspoon, The Morning Showactress played the role of Elle in both Legally Blonde and its 2003 sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. She is also serving as one of Elle's executive producers.

"She's such a bright light," Witherspoon said of Minetree during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "We watched 3,000 videos of girls trying out to be Elle Woods, and when I saw her video, it was like [a] lightning strike."

02 of 04

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Bruiser Woods: "Baby Bruiser" and Moonie

Lexi Minetree and "Baby Bruiser" in 'Elle'; Moonie and Reese Witherspoon in 'Legally Blonde'Credit: Kimberley French/Prime; Moviestore/Shutterstock

Elle's dog Bruiser was originally played by a Chihuahua named Moonie, a.k.a. Moondoggie, who died in March 2016 at the age of 18.

In Elle, Bruiser's origin story is revealed when a young Elle receives the pup as a gift from her mom, Eva. Minetree later said that spending time with "baby Bruiser" was a highlight of working on the show.

"He’s a diva on set, but he’s so cute, he gets away with it," she told W magazine.

03 of 04

Eva Woods: June Diane Raphael and Tané McClure

June Diane Raphael in 'Elle'; Tané McClure in 'Legally Blonde'Credit: Amazon; MGM

Raphael brings Elle's mom Eva to life in the new Prime Video series. The actress, who is best known for her role in Grace and Frankie, joked on Instagram that she originally auditioned for the role of Bruiser.

“I hadn’t seen a show like this since Gilmore Girls,” Raphael recalled to The Hollywood Reporter of reading the script for Elle. “It was a mother-daughter story that was loving and supportive, and without any of that weird competition. I was like, I would die to do this.”

Back in 2001, Eva was played by Tané McClure, a singer who found success in Hollywood as an actress, producer, director and film editor.

04 of 04

Wyatt Woods: Tom Everett Scott and James Read

Tom Everett Scott in 'Elle'; James Read in 'Legally Blonde'Credit: Amazon; MGM

Scott plays Elle's dad Wyatt in Elle. The actor has been a fixture of Hollywood since the 1990s, with starring roles in films like That Thing You Do!, Dead Man on Campus and Because I Said So.

At the premiere of Elle, Scott revealed that he got the audition for the part while apartment hunting in New York City with his daughter.

"She told me how much it meant to her, and so there was all this added pressure," he recalled to Entertainment Tonight. "Luckily I got it, and I was able to celebrate with her here in New York."

Wyatt was previously played by Days of Our Lives star James Read. The actor's extensive résumé includes roles in shows like the cult classic series Charmed and, more recently, the police procedural Bosch: Legacy.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”