Britney Spears Almost Played Elle Woods In Legally Blonde

Britney Spears was almost Elle Woods — what, like it’s hard? Legally Blonde writer Kiwi Smith revealed that the Grammy-winning singer was considered for Reese Witherspoon’s iconic role in the 2004 film.

On the March 20 episode of the Hollywood Gold podcast, Smith said Witherspoon’s breakout film, Election, convinced her that the actor was Elle Woods, but a certain pop star was brought up first. “The name Britney Spears was briefly floated,” she said. “But then Election had just come out, and once we talked about Reese... It just felt like, ‘Oh my god, this is the woman to play Elle.’”

Spears has not commented on Legally Blonde casting and did not mention the possibility of playing Witherspoon’s character in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, where she wrote about two other high-profile movies that she almost starred in, Chicago and The Notebook. This means she may not have even been aware that she was considered for the role of Elle Woods.

However, this potential casting may explain one of the movie’s deleted scenes.

Legally Blonde’s Britney Reference

One of the deleted scenes from Legally Blonde, which has gone viral on numerous occasions, references Spears. In the clip, Elle tearfully walks into her bedroom and falls down on her bed before telling her sorority sisters that Warner had broken up with her because he wanted to be with somebody who was more “serious.”

Serena blamed his grandmother, which Elle denied. “No, she really likes me,” she replied. “She told me I look like Britney Spears and why would you say that to somebody you don’t like?” (Elle made a good point.)

If Spears had known that she was up for the role of Elle Woods, she likely held no hard feelings against Witherspoon for nabbing the part. The two have supported each other on many occasions, with Spears even calling her “the epitome of complete enlightenment” in an archived Instagram post after reading a book recommended by Witherspoon’s book club.

In response, Witherspoon has praised Spears and even supported the release of her memoir, writing on her Instagram story, “Where can I order my copy?”