Legally Blonde 2 UK Premiere

July24

Thursday 24th July 2003

Reese blooming at premiere

Taken from the femail.co.uk website, but possibly likely to have originated from The Evening Standard or the Empire Online site.

Reese Witherspoon was in full bloom at the UK premiere of her latest blockbuster film Legally Blonde 2, in London last night.

The American actress, who is the star and executive producer of the sequel, arrived at Warner Village West End Cinema in Leicester Square, with her husband Ryan Phillippe.

Dressed in a white Prada maternity dress and red sash, the 27-year-old said: “It’s great for me because I’m a mother and it’s a great film for young women. The character is glamorous, fun, but she’s also very serious about her career. She loves bringing a new perspective to very traditional careers.”

It was Witherspoon’s debut as executive producer of her film and she said she was similar to Elle Woods, the character she plays in Legally Blonde 2.

The first movie dealt with stereotyping. This movie carries on that message and tells people you cannot judge a book by its cover.”

Asked whether blondes have more fun, she replied: “I don’t have a comparison as I have only ever been blonde.”

First trip to the UK

Witherspoon, who has a three-year-old daughter and is expecting her second child in December, said it was great to be in London for the premiere.

“It’s great to be here. I have never been to the UK before. I’m just glad it didn’t rain.” She said she was currently filming a new movie, Vanity Fair, just outside London and would be returning to America once filming had finished.

Asked about a third Legally Blonde film, she added: “I’ll have to see if people like the second. I don’t really know.”

Star-studded guests

Among the star-studded guest list for the premiere were Richard E Grant, Girls Aloud, The Cheeky Girls, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Kym Marsh.

Richard E Grant attended the premiere with his family and said Elle Woods represented a new form of feminism where girls did not have to burn their bras.

Grant said: “She’s a generation after the people who burnt their bras, my generation. Now you can have your bra and still get paid millions for a movie.”

Grant, who said he met Witherspoon while working on Gosford Park with her husband, said she was a great icon for “girl power”. “She’s all that,” he said. “She’s worth all the money that they pay her.”

He admitted to watching Legally Blonde 10 times because his daughters (sic) were such big fans. Many of the stars paid tribute to the evening by wearing pink.

Singer Kym Marsh admitted she had chosen to wear a pink top especially for the event. She said: “I dressed in pink especially and I cannot wait to see the movie.”

The director, Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, said of Elle Woods: “It’s really what she does, not what she wears in the end. You don’t have to give that up in order to conquer the world. You can look good and wear fabulous shoes and she is still successful and that’s very important.”

Ditzy-blonde

Witherspoon plays the pink-loving blonde who conquered Harvard Law School in the first film, Legally Blonde, and in the sequel is now a rising young lawyer at a top firm. The film picks up with Elle juggling a demanding job with preparation for her wedding to the man of her dreams.

But, when she finds out that her beloved dog Bruiser’s family members are being used as cosmetic test subjects by one of her firm’s own clients, she stands up for their rights and is promptly fired. She then tries to get US Congress to pass a bill banning animal testing.

Commenting on her own success as an actress and the comparisons made between her and Julia Roberts, she added: “I don’t think it’s a competition at all you know. I think Julia Roberts is doing fine and I’m doing fine and you know I think if one woman is doing well I think it’s good for all women so I’m happy for her and me.”

She also said she would love to do a film with her husband.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde is released in the UK on August 1.