Reese Witherspoon has revealed she almost missed out on landing her iconic role in Legally Blonde because executives thought she couldn’t portray the character of Elle Woods.
WATCH: Kim Kardashian becomes Elle Woods in ‘Legally Blonde’ parody
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the 43-year-old said studio bosses thought she wasn’t the right fit for the role, so she was encouraged to “dress sexy” for the audition.
“They thought I was a shrew,” Reese said, referring to the studio head, who apparently wouldn’t approve her based on her previous performance.
“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,” she confessed.
Reese went on to say that her then-husband Ryan Phillipe encouraged her to apply for the role and, looking back, it’s unbelievable to think what actors had to do for a role.
“It’s funny to think of all the things we were told to do back then because now you’re thinking, ‘Oh, God, if somebody told my daughter to do that, she’d be like, ‘I really hope you’re joking’,” Reese said.
Despite being told to dress for the part, and then endure an audition process that involved answering random questions about being in a sorority, the film was one of Reese’s biggest hits.
She reprised the role in the 2003 sequel, and in June, 2018 it was revealed she will revisit the role again in Legally Blonde 3, which is set to be released in May, 2020.
Reese’s confession comes after it was revealed she took a tumble at Jennifer Aniston’s 50th birthday bash at the upscale Sunset Tower on Sunset Boulevard in February.
The Legally Blonde actress fell down a flight of stairs as she left the party, gripping onto the handrail for support before being helped onto her feet by hotel staff.
Seeing the funny side of her slip, the mother-of-three broke into a wide grin as she stepped into a waiting vehicle outside the venue.
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