Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is returning to the world of teen dramas, this time as the chief rival to Lexi Minetree’s Elle Woods in the second season of Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel series executive produced by Reese Witherspoon, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
The announcement reunites Ramakrishnan with a familiar career trajectory.
Much like the actress herself, who was discovered through an open casting call to star in Mindy Kaling’s Netflix hit Never Have I Ever, newcomer Lexi Minetree also landed the lead role in Elle after being selected from around 5,000 audition tapes during an extensive casting search.
Although Elle has already been renewed and completed filming for its second season, Ramakrishnan says her new role offers something entirely different from her breakout performance as Devi Vishwakumar.
“Without spoiling too much, I like my character’s dynamic in the gang because it’s not something I’ve done before,” she said.
Ramakrishnan will portray Sam, an ambitious student who serves as Elle Woods’ biggest rival.
According to the official character description, Sam is “the founder, editor-in-chief and lord baron of the school newspaper, the commissioner of the grammar police and the enemy of joy,” with the AP Stylebook serving as her “holy grail.”
The actress said joining the Legally Blonde universe and working alongside Reese Witherspoon made the project especially appealing.
“It’s an iconic world,” she said, calling Witherspoon “a legend.”
Having previously worked with Mindy Kaling on Never Have I Ever and now collaborating with Witherspoon, Ramakrishnan drew comparisons between the two influential producers.
“The biggest thing they have in common, I would say, is that they are both women with audacity, and that’s why I think they hire women with audacity as well,” she said.
Praising her co-star Lexi Minetree, Ramakrishnan added, “Meeting Lexi is such a joy because she works so hard. She’s just amazing. Game recognizes game, and I think Mindy knew what she did casting me, and Reese knew what she did casting Lexi Minetree.”
She also described both Kaling and Witherspoon as “hard-working women who want to tell good stories.”
The first season of Elle, which explores the teenage years of the iconic Elle Woods before the events of Legally Blonde, is now streaming on Prime Video.
Season two has already wrapped production and is expected to arrive at a later date.
