Reese Witherspoon recently quoted her Legally Blonde character, Elle Woods, but this time, it’s not on screen. Nearly 24 years after Legally Blonde had her strutting into Harvard Law, the Oscar winner made her real-life return to Harvard, only now as the one sharing the knowledge.
Invited to speak at Harvard Business School, Witherspoon talked about business, leadership, and empowering women in the industry. Also in true Elle Woods fashion, she couldn’t resist throwing in that iconic line: “What, like it’s hard?”
Reese Witherspoon celebrates her return to Harvard
The actress took to Instagram with clips from her visit to Harvard Business School, where she met students, packed out lecture halls, and even brought back the iconic “bend and snap.”
She captioned her post with Elle Woods’ most famous line, writing, “What, like it’s hard? Had the best time visiting Harvard Business School and chatting with some seriously brilliant minds!”
However, this wasn’t just a nostalgia tour. Witherspoon was actually there as a guest speaker for an event called “A Conversation on Women & Leadership.” She opened up about her path as an entrepreneur and the driving force behind her media company, Hello Sunshine, stressing how vital it is for women to own their stories and see themselves represented on screen.
“I thought, I see this massive problem that’s been here for hundreds of years — this lack of storytelling for women that really shows women in the dynamic way that they present in the world,” Witherspoon said during the event. (via EW)
She was also presented with a fun surprise during her Harvard visit. According to The Harvard Crimson, watching Legally Blonde has actually become a freshman tradition on campus, something she said she had no idea about. The actress was floored (and clearly amused) that Elle Woods has basically become part of Harvard history.
Just like her on-screen alter ego, Elle Woods, Reese Witherspoon has made a career out of breaking stereotypes and proving people wrong. Beyond her Hollywood stardom, she’s built an empire as a producer and entrepreneur.
She started things off back in 2000 with her first production house, Type A Films. This is the team behind all three Legally Blonde movies. She then went on to launch Pacific Standard, Draper James, and Hello Sunshine. At this point, she’s both an actress and a business mogul.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on Comingsoon.
