Reese Witherspoon shared how her role on Legally Blonde as a lawyer led to some unexpected career experiences.
The actress may have earned her iconic status playing Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, but as the actress reminded fans, she’s not a real lawyer — despite what some juries might believe.
During a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Witherspoon, 48, recounted an amusing experience from years ago when her portrayal of the sharp and determined Elle Woods led to her being selected as a jury foreman in Beverly Hills.
“Well listen, I did not want to do jury duty,” she admitted.
“But I remember it was after Legally Blonde. It was probably like seven years after Legally Blonde, I got called for jury duty and it was in Beverly Hills.”
Expecting to avoid selection due to her fame, the Oscar-winning actress was in for a surprise. “I thought, ‘Surely they’re not gonna pick me.’ They picked me for a long trial, y’all. It was probably two weeks. I was on the jury.”
While she became fully invested in the trial, Witherspoon was taken aback when her fellow jurors unanimously voted her to serve as the foreman.
“We went every day and then we went to deliberation and so at the very end they say, ‘Okay, well somebody in this group has to be the foreman,’ and they all unanimously are like, ‘Her,’” she explained.
The reason for their choice was even more surprising — and a bit comical.
“They picked me because, ‘You went to law school,’” she recalled, laughing. “I was like, ‘Y’all this is really upsetting. I definitely did not go to law school, I didn’t finish college. I played a lawyer in a movie once but they fully made me the foreman.’”
Witherspoon reflected on the moment with humor, noting, “I started realizing people don’t know much about the law.”
The Legally Blonde star also shared exciting news about the franchise’s future.
In May 2024, Witherspoon announced an Elle Woods prequel series for Amazon Prime Video. While a younger actress will take on the role of Elle, Witherspoon will remain involved as an executive producer, guiding the next chapter of the story.
