Reese Witherspoon recently shared a hilarious and unexpected experience she had while serving on a jury, revealing that her iconic role in Legally Blonde led to her being named the foreman of the jury. Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Witherspoon recalled how she was called for jury duty several years after the film’s release, much to her dismay.
“I did not want to do jury duty,” Witherspoon admitted, explaining that she was called to serve in Beverly Hills. Despite her initial thoughts that she wouldn’t be selected, she found herself chosen for a lengthy trial. “It was probably like seven years after Legally Blonde… I got called for jury duty, and it was in Beverly Hills. They picked me for a long trial, y’all. It was probably two weeks. I was on the jury.”
While fellow guest Will Ferrell jokingly noted that two weeks didn’t seem that long, Witherspoon responded, “Okay, Ferrell,” before elaborating on the trial. “It was a dog bite case, but it was very clear, I was very invested in this case,” she said. After deliberation, the jury needed to choose a foreman, and Witherspoon was chosen unanimously.
“They all unanimously are like, ‘Her,'” Witherspoon recalled. “I was like, ‘Y’all, this is really upsetting. I definitely did not go to law school, I didn’t finish college.’ I played a lawyer in a movie once but they fully made me the foreman.” She went on to joke, “I started realizing people don’t know much about the law.”
Despite her humorous experience, Witherspoon encouraged others to take jury duty seriously, adding, “If you get picked for jury duty, please do it. Some bad stuff goes down there.”
Legally Blonde, the beloved 2001 comedy, stars Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enters Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend, only to overcome stereotypes and become a successful lawyer. The film’s success led to a sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, in 2003. Although a third film has been in development since 2019, it has faced delays due to the pandemic.