During production, the cast of “Elle,” the prequel to “Legally Blonde,” indulged in a unique bonding exercise that brought them closer.
Danielle Chand revealed to Page Six that the group gathered in the room of the film’s lead actress, Lexi Minetree, to watch “Legally Blonde.”
“Watching the movie with Lexi was a delightful experience,” Chand shared about the beloved 2001 film. “She was familiar with every line! It turns out she’s seen the film around 150 times. We were all completely engrossed and thoroughly enjoying ourselves.”
Currently available on Prime Video, “Elle” carries the creative mark of Reese Witherspoon as an executive producer.
The series delves into the teenage life of the iconic character Elle Woods, originally portrayed by Witherspoon, during the mid-‘90s. The storyline unfolds around her family navigating a big move from Los Angeles to Seattle.
Minetree stars as the teen version of Elle.
Chand plays Shannon, a popular girl at Elle’s new school. Although Elle is the ultimate confident sorority girl in “Legally Blonde,” in “Elle,” the title character thinks Shannon is the coolest, and is desperate to befriend her.
While the other students scoff at Elle, Shannon is the only one who is nice to her.
“Me and Shannon have a lot in common in terms of just being very welcoming and being very cheery,” said Chand.
“Being new anywhere is scary and I always want to be a nice, welcoming face for anyone,” she explained. “So when I saw that that was how Elle and Shannon met, I was like, ‘perfect!’”
The show is Chand’s first major role.
The Canadian actress told Page Six she was in acting class when she got the call she’d landed the role.
“I ran outside because I wanted to take the call alone, because I didn’t know what was going to be on the other end of that phone call,” she recounted. “And then as soon as [my agent] told me that I booked it, I ran back inside with my class, and we did one big group hug, and I just was bawling my eyes out.”
It’s also a posthumous role for James Van Der Beek, as the “Dawson’s Creek” alum filmed it before his death at 48 from cancer in February.
“I didn’t get to meet James Vander Beek,” Chand said. “But I’m really glad that he was able to be a part of the show and that his legacy will live on.”
She continued: “And everyone who did talk to him and got to meet him, they told me that he was just a delight to work with.”
The show has already been renewed for a Season 2, but Season 1 leaves Shannon’s future uncertain.
When asked whether she’ll be in Season 2, Chand told Page Six, “You’ll have to wait and find out.”