Elle cast on why queerness had to be included in Legally Blonde TV prequel

Legally Blonde fans can get another slice of Elle Woods action in new Prime Video series Elle, following the iconic character through her teenage years.

The show, of which original Elle Woods actress Reese Witherspoon is an executive producer, premiered on 1 July, though a second season was confirmed in January 2026.

The series, which has eight episodes, sees Elle move to Seattle, where she struggles to fit in due to her positive, pink vibe. Not fitting in is, of course, something many LGBTQ+ viewers may have also dealt with during their school years.

But, speaking to PinkNews, Gabrielle Policano, who plays Liz in the show, has shared that Elle actually includes more of a positive portrayal of queer youth.

Policano, who uses she/they pronouns, said: “Something really exciting about the show is that we see an openly queer character who’s also 16 that is actually doing okay, in the sense that this story is not focused on her being gay. She’s just a person who happens to be gay.

“We have a lot of stories that focus on the tragic gay storyline, how hard it is to be gay.

“We need those stories, we need to tell those narratives, and I think that it’s going to be really exciting for young queer people to see someone who’s actually doing just fine and is gay, but that’s not the most interesting thing about them.”

Policano added: “It’s my dream for some young queer person who’s maybe not in the most accepting space to watch the show, press pause and go into the living room and come out to their parents, ’cause they’re like, ‘Oh, it can be fine. It can be okay.’

“I feel really honoured to get to tell that story.”

Chandler Kinney, who plays Kimberly, added: “I play a character who is on her journey of coming to terms with herself and exploring her sexuality, and fortunately she gets to do it with someone who is so kind and patient and understanding.”

She added: “I think about people who have said to me, ‘If I had this show and these characters in this time in my life when I was in high school, when I was growing up, where I was growing up, and seeing these stories being told the way that they are, I would have felt a lot more seen than I did.’

“I think that’s so important and I just feel really grateful to be a part of the story as well for these two characters.”

Speaking of the important of Legally Blonde for queer fans, Policano told us: “First of all, Elle Woods is a gay icon and may be straight as an arrow… questionable… but she symbolises sort of flamboyance and theatricality.

“I know a lot of people who came from repressed homes and locations who found theatre, queer people who found theatre, because it was their way to be as theatrical as they possible wanted. They viewed it as their own form of drag or self-expression, things that are so rooted in our culture and I’m sure that Reese is aware of that. People were not quiet about it, about Elle being a gay icon.”

Policano added: “We don’t see queerness depicted in the way it is depicted necessarily in this show all the time, especially for young people who need it the most right now more than ever.

“I’m honoured that [Reese] trusted us and bestowed that upon us and I hope it’s a gift. I really hope it’s a gift, because she granted us a big gift with that.”

Elle: From the World of Legally Blonde is streaming on Prime Video now

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