Witherspoon's son Deacon notably recreated his father Ryan Phillippe's look, which the actor wore to the premiere of the first 'Legally Blonde' film in 2001
Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
NEED TO KNOW
- Reese Witherspoon attended the season 1 premiere of Elle with her son Deacon Phillippe in New York City on Tuesday, June 23
- Deacon recreated his dad Ryan Phillippe’s look from the 2001 Los Angeles premiere of Legally Blonde
- Elle will serve as a prequel series to the Legally Blonde films, and will document Elle Woods’ high school years in Seattle
Reese Witherspoon was joined by her son Deacon Phillippe for the red carpet premiere of Elle.
The mother-son duo attended the premiere of the new Prime Video series at the SVA Theatre in New York City on Tuesday, June 23. Witherspoon, 50, wore a pink lace dress with a corseted bodice and a sweetheart neckline, while Deacon, 22, coordinated in a black suit with a magenta tie.
Deacon, who recently graduated from New York University, recreated his father Ryan Phillippe's look from the 2001 Legally Blonde premiere, which he had accompanied Witherspoon to in Los Angeles. The former couple, who married in 1999 and later separated in 2006 before divorcing, shares Deacon and daughter Ava, 26. Witherspoon is also mom to son Tennessee, 13, whom she shares with ex-husband Jim Toth.
Elle, which stars Lexi Minetree as the titular Elle Woods, will serve as a prequel to the Legally Blonde films, in which Witherspoon starred as the underestimated sorority girl turned Harvard-educated lawyer. The original film maintains cult classic status for its ability to center a female-led story with plenty of heart and many memorable comedic moments. The movie also had a star-studded cast, which included Selma Blair, Ali Larter, Jennifer Coolidge, Luke Wilson and more.
Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
On June 20, Witherspoon celebrated Elle's upcoming premiere with Larter, Coolidge, Blair, and Victor Garber at an event in N.Y.C.
In a video shared on her Instagram on June 21, Witherspoon became visibly emotional as she expressed her admiration for Minetree, 25.
Credit: Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty
“I have to tell you, when I saw Lexi Minetree in her video, it stopped me. It took my breath away," Witherspoon said, as she began to tear up. "She understood — I'm gonna cry again — she's just such an incredible person."
Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I was like, ‘I want you to understand the responsibility of what this means to people. Little girls are gonna come up to you, and it's like a massive responsibility,' " Witherspoon said later in the video.
She went on to call Minetree an "incredibly disciplined, talented young woman" with "such a beautiful heart," adding that she "could not be more proud to pass the baton — or the pink torch — to Lexi Minetree as the new Elle Woods."
Witherspoon recently told the cast via the series' official Instagram page that Elle has been picked up for a second season, which is currently in production.
Season 1 of Elle premieres July 1 on Prime Video.
Read the full article here
