If you are anything like me, then you have watched and re-watched Legally Blonde more times than you can count. It was an iconic part of the early 2000s that I’m not sure any of us could have lived without!
But as well as we may think we know the movie, there are a lot more BTS secrets to be unpacked!
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1. Reese Witherspoon was not the first choice to be cast as Elle Woods.
Believe it or not, the casting director’s first choice for the role was Tori Spelling followed by Christina Applegate . After both actresses turned down the part, Katherine Heigl, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alicia Silverstone, and Charlize Theron were next in line.
Then Reese .
2. Reese was told to “dress sexy” to land the part of Elle Woods.
“They thought I was a shrew,” Reese told the Hollywood Reporter .
“My manager finally called and said, ‘You’ve got to go meet with the studio head because he will not approve you. He thinks you really are your character from Election and that you’re repellent.’ And then I was told to dress sexy.”
3. Matthew Davis had a crush on Reese Witherspoon.
“Ever since I was 15 and watched A Far Off Place, I had the hugest crush on Reese . So at first I was such a bumbling idiot with her, the producers pulled me aside one day to see if I was OK,” he told MovieLine .
4. Reese gave birth to her first child with her then-husband, Ryan Philippe, shortly before filming commenced.
“I was worried that I wasn’t getting enough sleep because my daughter Ava was sick quite often during the shoot and there were a lot of days when I didn’t think I could pull it off,” she said of balancing work and being a new mom.
“Some nights Ava would wake up screaming because she had the flu and I would spend most of the night trying to rock her back to sleep and then have to be on the set at 7 in the morning for make-up,” she continued.
“And then you throw in the fact that I’m supposed to be playing a very bubbly and energetic California preppy who is smiling all the time! I kept thinking , “I’m going to kill myself! I’m never going to make it!'”
5. The iconic bend-and-snap scene was originally supposed to be a musical number, but was cut from the movie.
The bend-and-snap scene that we all know and love is merely a glimpse of what the scene was initially going to be.
“I have a feeling I will be doing the bend-and-snap until I am 95,” Reese said .
6. Elle’s dog, Bruiser’s real name was Moonie.
“With a sad heart, I have to let all the #LegallyBlonde fans know that Bruiser Woods (also known as Moonie) passed away yesterday. He was a sweet little Chihuahua who was very loved. I will never forget all the days we spent together … I’m sure his tail is wagging in the sky. Sending love to his trainer, the wonderful @tailsticks #RIPBruiser ,” Reese wrote on Instagram after Moonie’s passing.
7. To prepare for the role, Reese visited the University of Southern California to spend time in a sorority house.
Prior to landing the role of Elle, Reese had never so much as stepped foot in a sorority house.
But to help her act out the role as authentically as possible, she decided to spend some time in a real-life sorority house .
8. Reese’s real-life bestie, Molly Stern, made the dress that Elle wore during the breakup scene with Warner.
What an incredible way to support her friend’s business, plus the dress is stunning. It became one of the most iconic outfits of the movies.
A win-win!
9. Unlike Elle, Reese admitted that it was challenging to stay as energetic as Elle Woods was supposed to be.
“It’s definitely been a jump for me,” she said in an interview shortly after the film was released.
“I’m not necessarily like — jump around and [be] perky and bubbly all the time.”
“The amount of care and energy she puts into a lot of things — I think that’s been really a challenge for me,” she said.
“And trying to convey that sort of lightness all the time is hard work .”
10. The Delta Nu toilet paper scene was based on a true story.
During Elle’s Law School admission video, her sorority, Delta Nu, voted on changing their toilet paper brand from Charmin to a generic brand.
That scene was apparently based on a real-life experience of one of the screenwriters, Karen McCullah.
“We were denied our toilet paper,” Karen told the university’s magazine, *Montpelier*.
“I offered my sorority sisters activity points for stealing replacement rolls from the administration building,” she explained .
That’s quite a demonstration to simply have a toilet paper brand changed inside of a sorority house!
11. The movie is based on a novel.
Like so many films, Legally Blonde is, in fact, based on a book by the same title, written by Amanda Brown, that was published in 2001.
“[Law school] helped me decide what I wanted to do: write,” the author revealed .
So, there you have it! If you thought you knew the movie well before, you certainly do now!
Let us know what your favorite Legally Blonde fun fact was, down in the comments below, or if you have one to share!
We would love to hear from you!
