Reese Witherspoon recalls how her fellow jurors thought she went to real-life law school due to her Legally Blonde role

Reese Witherspoon recently shared an amusing anecdote from her time serving on jury duty. She revealed how her iconic role as Elle Woods in the 2001 film Legally Blonde left a lasting impression on her fellow jurors.

During a January 27, 2025, appearance on The Graham Norton Show, the 48-year-old actress recounted being mistaken for an actual lawyer during jury duty in Beverly Hills, California, seven years after the release of the film. She stated:

"Listen, I did not want to do jury duty...But I remember it was probably seven years after Legally Blonde when I got called in. I thought, 'Surely they're not gonna pick me.' But they picked me for a long trial, y'all. It was probably two weeks."

Witherspoon explained that her jury duty involved a dog bite case, and she quickly became immersed in the trial over the two weeks. When the jury moved into deliberations, the group needed to elect a foreman. Much to her surprise, the jurors unanimously voted for her.

"They all unanimously are like, 'Her,'" Witherspoon recalled, referring to herself. She was initially baffled by the choice and decided to ask her fellow jurors why they had selected her.

"They were like, 'You went to law school,'" Witherspoon revealed. "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, and I started realizing… people don’t know much about the law."

Her portrayal of Elle Woods, a Harvard Law student turned successful lawyer in Legally Blonde, evidently convinced the jury of her legal expertise.

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Reese Witherspoon portrayed Elle Woods in Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde remains one of Reese Witherspoon's most iconic works. The film follows Elle Woods as she defies stereotypes and proves her mettle at Harvard Law School. Witherspoon reprised her role in the 2003 sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. She later produced Legally Blondes, a 2009 spinoff, though she did not appear in the film.

Currently, Reese Witherspoon is spearheading a revival of the Legally Blonde franchise. An Amazon Prime Video prequel series, tentatively titled Elle, is in development. The series will explore Elle Woods’ high school years and the life experiences that shaped her into the ambitious and confident young woman audiences fell in love with.

Laura Kittrell is set to serve as showrunner and executive producer, with Witherspoon producing alongside Lauren Neustadter under her Hello Sunshine banner.

While reflecting on the enduring popularity of Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon has expressed her commitment to doing justice to Elle Woods’ character in any future projects. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in July 2022, she said:

"I feel like these characters are my friends, so I safeguard them. I would never make the subpar, mediocre version of their story."

In addition to the Legally Blonde prequel series, Reese Witherspoon is currently promoting her latest film, You’re Cordially Invited, an Amazon Prime movie in which she stars alongside Will Ferrell. The film explores the comedic chaos of two separate weddings accidentally booked at the same venue.