For 25 years, we’ve known Elle Woods on the other side of adolescence. When we met this iconic character, she was attending Harvard University and confident in bending and snapping. And, as we saw twice, legal blonde The movie Innately cannot be underestimated. But that kind of tenacity doesn’t come out of thin air. Strong Women is often a collection of strong women who have come before us, a kaleidoscope of stories and lived experiences. So who helped assemble the Elle we know and love today?
Eva Woods appears. in EllePrime Video’s new ’90s-set prequel legal blondeJune Diane Raphael plays Elle’s mother. Set in grunge-era Seattle, she’s an incredibly sophisticated, sometimes overbearing, but relentlessly devoted mother who reluctantly rebuilds her family’s picture-perfect life (after her husband’s nose job goes awry to the point of forcing the family to move out of Bel Air).
To Rafael, most of us have come to adore him as the brilliant, childless workaholic Brianna. grace and frankieit’s a change of direction. In real life, she is a proud mother of two sons. But here she plays the ultimate girl’s mother, drawing on her own late mother (“a mother who is so hilarious and funny and makes me laugh so much”). The result is the kind of mother-daughter relationship not often seen in pop culture, one that’s sometimes misguided, sure, but built on a deep, fierce love.
We caught up with Rafael to talk about the cast’s chemistry, reminiscences of the ’90s, and the unique pain of realizing your child may not need you the way they used to.
Scary Mommy: Elle Woods is basically a national treasure at this point. How did you step into the role of the woman who raised you?
June Diane Raphael: I feel like Elle Woods raised me. myself, There are also many women my age. I remember the mother being beautifully played in the movie, but her resources were very limited, so in a way it was great to be able to create this character from a blank slate. I love the idea that every woman is made up of different women in her life who helped her, challenged her, supported her, and loved her hard. It was an honor to play her mother.
This show has such a beautiful mother-daughter story that I’m really proud to be a part of. Because these expressions can get a little strange in pop culture. There’s competition and all sorts of weird things happen. in Ellethis relationship is really rooted in a lot of love and support. Even when Eva is doing something wrong, she always has Elle’s interests first.
SM: I saw it recently. legal blonde When I returned to the theater on Memorial Day, the audience was filled with young women. How important was it for you to feel like you were passing the baton to the next generation of Elle Woods fans?
JDR: I think many mothers and daughters will watch it. Elle Being together is really special. For women of our generation, my character is like a stand-in for many people. Because we are the same age. I was 21 years old when this movie came out, and seeing this movie was very important to me at the time.
Its basic theme is legal blonde This is a story about being unapologetic and being who you are, even if the world doesn’t believe in you or underestimating you, and this woman who is ultra-feminine, loves hair, makeup, and clothes, and is still really smart. It’s so simple in a way, yet incredibly necessary then, and probably just as important now. I can’t wait for women my age to see this and share it with young women.
SM: This show is like a time capsule of the 90s. What was your favorite part about achieving that particular aesthetic?
JDR: Sara Byblow designed the costumes. The costume is very beautiful. I often wear vintage Chanel and Versace. It’s just amazing. One of the things I really love about her wardrobe is that Eva always looks great in her outfits. It was the early days of athleisure, and I was in workout clothes most of the day, whether I was actually working out or not, so I loved playing someone who was always dressed up, even to school drop-offs and pick-ups.
Also, when I spin the Rolodex that I use, a lot of post-its come out. Landline phones with big buttons, all of that… it’s a very tactile experience. There’s something really satisfying about it.
SM: Lexi Minetree is new to Reese’s shoes. What was it like creating mother-daughter shorthand with her?
JDR: I feel like I didn’t build it. It was always there. I met Lexi when I was auditioning for the role. They took her to Los Angeles and had a meeting with her before reading the scenes. The feeling was really like, “We meet again, but it’s not the first time. It’s nice to meet you. We’ve known each other forever.” It felt so natural and so fast.
Sometimes you need to build chemistry with other actors and get to know them. And for whatever reason, these things are being led by the big man in the sky, I don’t know, but we had that feeling right away…I love her dearly. She’s a very special person and it’s amazing how she stepped into this role. Of course, her talent is part of it, and that’s a big part. Just showing up to do it with that much pressure and all this attention, it’s tough. It’s hard for someone my age. That’s a lot for someone her age. I’m really proud of her.
SM: She is very convincing as Elle.
JDR: So Persuasive. At the same time, the connection between her and Reese is otherworldly. And it’s her own Elle Woods, too. She has pulled off a real magic trick here. I have to ask her how she did it because it’s totally creepy.
SM: Women in Hollywood are creating a world right now by giving women these roles and telling stories. What’s it like to be a part of that with Reese?
JDR: It was very special. Reese came to Vancouver, where we were filming the first season, and we had dinner and talked about the movie and her experience as a mother. At the time of the photo shoot, she had just given birth to a baby. legal blondethat surprised me. I’m also a mom, and I travel, I work for shows, I play moms, so there was a lot of us connecting in that regard.
And I say this about her all the time. She founded Hello Sunshine and this whole community platform company around the idea of telling women’s stories – stories of women with dementia that are complex, real, funny, and showing their full humanity. Working with her and the Hello Sunshine team, they really hit the ground running. They really support all the women on our show. I mean, especially me doing this job where I’m trying to stay sane while juggling my kids and my schedule. I couldn’t have felt more supported by all the people around Reese who made this possible. So I was very happy to see that this wasn’t just a slogan for them. That’s exactly how they do it.
SM: You yourself are a great advocate for women. You’re not afraid to express your voice and even write a book encouraging women to run for office. And the role you play is a complex, three-dimensional woman. Is that something you very consciously seek out? What are your hopes for the message of your body of work?
JDR: I really love women, so that’s what I pursue. I find women infinitely fascinating and complex. And for me, there’s something about a woman with a bit of dementia that just responds comedically. This is really a quote from my mom that is so hilarious and funny and makes me laugh so much. I find that women are always interesting and always say things that I find interesting and want to hear.
The roles I’m drawn to are complex women who don’t always do the right thing. In fact, they can be completely wrong. But my hope is that by showing all sides of women, we will ultimately create more space for women in real life. that’s one of the reasons I fell in love with it grace and frankie Very: There’s a show about two women in their late 70s. They’re hilarious and beautiful and sexual and smart and they’re starting businesses and doing all the things we don’t let women do. We try not to see women that way.
SM: And Ellewe meet you at the difficult stage of raising teenagers…
JDR: Stepping into this role, this is the first time I’ve really played a mother. Brianna grace and frankie I was famously childless, which was also very important to me. But I love the experience of sharing this part of myself, the motherhood part. It’s very humorous, but it’s also very human, sharing those difficult moments of, “Oh, I do.” do Know what it’s like to have a growing child. ”
Like Eva, you suddenly don’t really know how it’s affecting you. There’s sadness, there’s fear, and do they need you anymore? And if you are not a mother anymore, what are you? All of these emotions are rich areas in which to work as an actor.
To your point about female empowerment, these words are used so often that we sometimes forget what they mean. It says something like, “Oh yeah, this is a show that empowers women and young girls,” but what does that actually mean? and i think so legal blonde is a very good example. We have actual data on how many women went to law school after watching Elle Woods go to law school. That’s true. we had to see it.
I had to see that for sure too. I mean, like Reese, you can be really feminine and do big physical comedy and play huge characters that are so funny and real and that we care about and root for. It is very important to check all these dimensions. And ultimately, as women, we often limit ourselves to limitations.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
