Reese Witherspoon Reveals Jenna Ortega'sWednesdayInspired theLegally BlondePrequel Series

Mar. 15, 2025

(L-R) Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde; Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday.Photo:Tracy Bennett/MGM; Courtesy of Netflix

Tracy Bennett/MGM; Courtesy of Netflix

Reese Witherspoonfound inspiration for the newLegally Blondeseries in the most unlikely of places.

“It was kind of this idea … I saw thatWednesday Addams show, you know, and I was like, ‘Oh!'” Witherspoon told hostJimmy Fallonofthe Netflix series starring Jenna Ortega. “She was in high school. I loved it, I watched every episode, I thought it was amazing. And I was like, ‘We should do Elle Woods in high school!'”

Reese Witherspoon on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty

Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty

Once the idea was in her head, the actress said she realized she “wanted to see who [Elle Woods] was before college, before law school, and I started having all these ideas.”

“And these amazing writers came up with a great pitch and now Amazon is making the show and it’s calledElle,” she says.

The series, which was announced in May, will explore “how Elle Woods navigated her world as a teenager with her distinct personality and ingenuity, in ways that only our beloved Elle could do,” Witherspoon said at the time.

Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde in 2001.MGM

MGM

In this week’s issue, Witherspoon, whose new film withWill Ferrell,You’re Cordially Invited, premieres Jan. 30, told PEOPLE that filming for the prequel series will “start in March.““I’m really excited because we’re going through the casting process right now and we’re picking who is going to play the young me. It’s kind of a trip,” she said.

“It’s so exciting too, to watch these young girls that are so filled with enthusiasm and excitement,” she continued. “There’s so many good ones. That’s the hard thing, because there’s so many good people to choose from.”

In September,she initiated a nationwide casting callas she posted avideoon Instagram, encouraging young actresses to apply as the “search for the high school version of Elle Woods is officially ON! 💖 ✨ .”

“I’m SO excited to see all your fabulous takes on everyone’s favorite Gemini vegetarian! 💕👛🌟🎀,” she wrote in the caption.

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source: people.com