Jennifer Coolidge has revealed she “stupidly thought” she would play Elle Woods when she auditioned for Legally Blonde.

The actress landed one of the most iconic roles of her career when she featured in the 2001 comedy, playing shy manicurist Paulette Bonafonte, with Reese Witherspoon landing the lead role.

As Coolidge was reunited with her co-stars for Prime Video’s Elle World event on Saturday, the star admitted she originally had her sights set on a different character.

“I thought this was the funniest thing. I was so lucky to get cast in this movie, and it is one of my favourite jobs of all time, but I stupidly thought that when I was auditioning, I thought I was gonna be Elle,” she laughed during a panel appearance.

Legally Blonde was a box office hit upon its release, with the movie following Elle, a fashionable sorority girl who defies stereotypes by landing a place at Harvard Law School as she attempts to win her ex-boyfriend back.

The comedy is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, with castmates including Witherspoon, Coolidge, Selma Blair, Ali Larter, Victor Garber and Matthew Davis reuniting at the Elle World event at New York City’s Hall des Lumières over the weekend.

During her appearance Coolidge, 65, mused on how time has flown since the movie was made.

“Well, you know, I forgot that when we first started filming, I was only 17 years old,” she joked.

“No, I was, and so I just can’t believe it. All this time has gone by.”

Prime Video is gearing up for the release of the new prequel series Elle on 1st July, with Lexi Minetree set to play the titular character during her teenage years.

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