What, like it's hard?
There's no explanation needed when it comes to the impact Legally Blonde has had on the LGBTQ+ community since the first movie came out in 2001.
Starring Reese Witherspoon, the iconic film follows Elle Woods as she pursues a law degree at Harvard Law School to win over her ex-boyfriend, Warner Huntington III. The movie was a global phenomenon that resulted in a hit sequel, Broadway musical, and upcoming third film that's officially in the works.
While fans wait to see Witherspoon reprise Elle Woods on the big screen, a new prequel series following the blonde bombshell in her teenage years has just dropped on Prime Video. Similar to the original movie, Elle finds herself in a new environment where she doesn't necessarily fit in. Her family moves from the beaches in Bel Air to the dark skies of Seattle, Washington as Elle enters her junior year of high school.
As Elle adjusts to her new home, she finds herself in a love triangle between two polar opposite men as Miles (played by Jacob Moskovitz) is a cross-country star and Dustin (played by Zac Looker) is a social justice activist and adorable skateboarder.
The two leading men were thrilled to join the cast of the popular prequel series and dive deeper into Elle Woods' background. The love triangle hits a peak during the season one finale, which perfectly sets up the plot for a confirmed second season.
"Everybody has some kind of experience of being judged by their appearance and feeling like stepping into who they fully are feels like a risk. Elle's willingness to step into that risk with so much conviction, confidence, energy, and optimism is really special to see," Looker tells Out.
"As campy as the film is, it leaves no character without dignity. Every character has a human angle. We were really trying to honor that heading into the prequel. Elle is going through high school and everyone has an iteration as to how hard that was," Moskovitz adds.
Beyond Elle's potential love interests, the new show features prominent LGBTQ+ storylines. Co-creators Laura Kittrell and Caroline Dries are proud queer TV showrunners who used their own personal connections to the plot of Legally Blonde as inspiration for the prequel series.
"I came out in high school, right around the time that I saw the movie for the first time. The thing I always connected to about it was that she's this underdog and she feels like this fish out of water. That's exactly how I was feeling in high school. It had such an impact on me. People who had those same takeaways are going to be pretty happy with our show," Kittrell says.
In the first season, Elle stands out for all of the wrong reasons when she initially moves to Seattle, but she befriends queer people in her school who eventually come to love and respect who she is.
Lexi Minetree, who plays the titular character, was thrilled to portray the gay icon during her teenage years and give queer fans more Elle Woods content to enjoy.
"I've peaked! Elle Woods is for the girls and the gays. We all know that! She's a proud gay dog mom. Many of my friends are queer and the outpouring of love has been so incredible," Minetree says.
Although Elle's love life makes up a large part of season one, her new friends also find themselves in an adorable queer storyline as well. Gabrielle Policano and Chandler Kinney portray Elle's unlikely besties, Liz and Kimberly, who start experimenting with their own sexualities as they navigate high school.
"I never thought that there would be a grunge lesbian on the Legally Blonde prequel series! It was a total honor to play this out-and-proud, 16-year-old lesbian in the 90s! Queer stories are being told more on TV. Shout out Heated Rivalry! It's my hope young queer people will watch this and come out to their parents," Policano says.
"[Kimberly's] coming out journey and relationship with her queerness resonates with people I know and love in the queer community. So many friends of mine didn't have resources immediately accessible and available. If Kimberly had a show like Elle in 1995, it probably would have helped her feel more seen and understood. I can't wait for season two. We get to dive deeper into these stories! If you thought it was gay then, just wait. Buckle up," Kinney adds.
Elle is streaming now on Prime Video.
