The actor taking up Witherspoon’s mantle also paid her a lovely fashion tribute: 25-year-old Lexi Minetree promoted Elle on The Tonight Show in a ruched pink dress with black lace by Marc Jacobs that Witherspoon herself wore in 2001. On the same show, a few days later, the original Elle Woods revealed that she had kept all the outfits from her character’s very pink wardrobe. Naturally, Witherspoon invited Minetree to dig through her archives to choose promo looks with Minetree’s stylist.
Witherspoon said the stylist, who happens to be one of the Oscar winner’s longtime friends, asked her if she still had any dresses from that time. “I have all the wardrobe in storage, so I sent her as many dresses as they wanted,” Witherspoon recalled on The Tonight Show. “I said, ‘choose any dresses that you want for her.’ And she put it on and it fit perfectly. It’s like Cinderella’s slipper! She was meant to be Elle Woods!”
After starring together in the 1999 teen classic Cruel Intentions, Witherspoon and Phillippe wed and welcomed two children—daughter Ava, born that same year, then son Deacon, born in 2003. The couple separated in 2006, after seven years of marriage. In 2012, the actor had a third child, Tennessee, from her second marriage to Jim Toth, from whom she separated in 2023 after 11 years of marriage. This month, she was spotted on the arm of billionaire businessman Oliver Haarmann at the premiere of Elle in New York City.
Recently, Witherspoon shared a photo of Deacon on her Instagram account to celebrate his graduation: “After 4years of hard work, long days , endless papers &classes, working with the greatest teachers and making new friends… my wonderful son graduated from @nyutisch !” Witherspoon wrote alongside a photo of her posing with Deacon in his cap and gown.
“I’m so proud of you…bonus of the year : @lauradern was the honored speaker !” Witherspoon concluded. Her son replied, “Love you mama,” and received congratulations in the comments from Julianne Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kerry Washington, and Mindy Kaling.
Originally published by Vanity Fair France.