When audiences meet Wyatt Woods in 'Elle,' the upcoming Prime Video prequel to 'Legally Blonde,' they will discover a father very different from one of Thomas Everett Scott's most memorable TV dads.
Scott, whose portrayal of Conrad and Jeremiah's dad in 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' earned him a new generation of fans, laughed when asked how viewers might compare the two fathers.
"I think they're just really different people," Scott told this reporter with a laugh. "Connie baby's asshole dad is really more of an asshole. Wyatt Woods is a much simpler, goofier, sweet dad."
The actor stars opposite June Diane Raphael and newcomer Lexi Minetree, who takes on the challenge of playing a teenage Elle Woods years before the character heads to Harvard Law School.
Rather than trying to imitate the version made famous by Reese Witherspoon, Scott said the cast focused on building authentic relationships that would naturally lead audiences to recognize the beloved heroine.
"I think the casting and everything really seems to work well," Scott said. "Focusing more on the details of each scene and who these characters are in a really specific way... working with Lexi and June and all the good scene work we've been doing with the brilliant writing, I'm finding it to be one of the most thrilling jobs I've had."
For Scott, stepping into the 'Legally Blonde' universe also meant revisiting the decade that launched his own career. The actor broke through in the mid-1990s before starring in 'That Thing You Do!,' making the show's nostalgic setting especially meaningful.
"Stepping into this world of the '90s and all the aesthetics of it are great," he said. "Giving fans something from the 'Legally Blonde' world that I think they've come to love already, so to try to build on that has just been exciting."
Asked how accurately Elle recreates the era, Scott said viewers who lived through the decade will find plenty of familiar details.
"There's so much that's in the series that's really right on with the '90s, certainly Seattle and the grunge and all those things," he said, praising everything from the wardrobe to the props that helped recreate the period.
Still, Scott joked that his own memories differ from those of Wyatt Woods.
"In the '90s, I was just a struggling actor," he said. "But in this show, I get to be like a fancy person. So I'm experiencing kind of fancy '90s."
The series arrives as one of Prime Video's most anticipated franchise expansions. Created by Laura Kittrell with Witherspoon serving as an executive producer through her company Hello Sunshine, Elle explores the high school years that shaped one of modern pop culture's most optimistic and underestimated heroines before the events of the original 2001 film.
Scott believes audiences are ready to return to that uplifting world.
During the interview, after hearing about the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, the actor expressed hope that the series can provide comfort to viewers living through difficult times. The conversation highlighted one of the themes at the heart of Legally Blonde: finding joy, optimism and kindness even when life feels overwhelming.
As for Scott, becoming television's newest lovable father is a role he embraces. After decades of memorable performances in film and television, he now finds himself helping introduce one of Hollywood's most iconic characters to a new generation, this time from inside the Woods family home.
If Wyatt Woods is any indication, viewers can expect a dad whose warmth, humor and unwavering support helped shape the confident young woman who would eventually prove that no one should ever judge a book by its pink cover.
