Legally Blonde Stars Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Rare BTS Photos
Stars of the successful 2001 comedy Legally Blonde are celebrating the film’s 20th anniversary with some rare behind-the-scenes photos. Though the film found success upon its initial release, its real impact wasn’t felt for some time afterward. Today, it’s clear that Legally Blonde was a major success, bringing in over $140 million on an $18 million budget and helping to boost lead star Reese Witherspoon’s career to new heights.
The film followed in the footsteps of other female-led comedies of the time that had also found considerable success and a dedicated following, such as Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Bring It On. But unlike those films, Legally Blonde was quick to turn its success into a big-screen sequel. By 2003, Witherspoon was back in the role of Elle Woods, much to the delight of fans everywhere. It wasn’t the financial or critical success that its predecessor was, but Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde was a satisfying follow-up and enough to keep fans eager for a third Legally Blonde film. While that third film has yet to materialize, it is currently in development, with comedian Mindy Kaling writing the script.
Until Legally Blonde 3 arrives, however, there’s still much to celebrate. The first Legally Blonde turns twenty this year and although there aren’t currently any official events planned as of this writing, some of the cast of the film have already stepped up with a treat for fans. Both Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair have offered up some rare behind-the-scenes photos via their Instagram accounts. Calling Legally Blonde the “role of a lifetime,” Witherspoon dropped seven photos from the production, while Blair’s six photos were specifically taken by her throughout production:
Click here to see Witherspoon's post and here to see Blair's post.
There are plenty of memories provided by both stars in the photos, and it’s certainly enough to fuel a desire for even more Legally Blonde memories. But unlike many hit films that reach a milestone, it doesn’t appear that there are any plans to release a 20th-anniversary edition of the film in 4K and Blu-ray – something that many fans would be quite interested in. Instead, there’s the aforementioned sequel, which is due to hit theatres in 2022. Witherspoon is one of several stars from the first two films that have already confirmed their return, and the new film is reportedly interested in weaving female empowerment into its plot, just as past installments have done. However, feminism has come a long way since 2001, meaning that Legally Blonde 3 could be the most important film of the series to date.
The world certainly is a much different place than it was back in 2001, and to look at these behind-the-scenes Legally Blonde photos now is to take a trip to what was arguably a simpler time. In that way, aside from its ability to not take itself too seriously and promote positivity, confidence, and female empowerment, Legally Blonde has been a great comfort to many for decades. That alone is worth celebrating and both Witherspoon and Blair clearly think so too.
Source: Reese Witherspoon/Selma Blair