Reese Witherspoon's 'Legally Blonde' contract meant she could keep all of the outfits

Reese Witherspoon has revealed she kept every outfit worn by her character in 2001 comedy Legally Blonde, including 77 pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes, after having the detail written into her contract.

Witherspoon said on The Graham Norton Show that she “kept the whole wardrobe” worn by her character, from colourful dresses to all of those designer shoes.

The role of Elle Woods — a sorority girl who opts to study law at Harvard in an attempt to win back her ex — proved to be a breakout one in Witherspoon’s career, alongside her appearance in Alexander Payne’s Election.

Read more: Witherspoon ranks as one of Hollywood’s highest paid women

She said the film changed her life and that she made sure she got to keep all of the clothes.

“I had it written into my contract,” the 43-year-old said. “I didn’t touch them until the 15th anniversary and then had a lot of fun trying them on with my daughter.”

Legally Blonde was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy, while Witherspoon made it on to the shortlist for the equivalent Best Actress category.

The film spawned a sequel, released in 2003, and a stage musical.

Read more: Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston discuss The Morning Show

Talk of a Legally Blonde 3 has been swirling for years, with MGM initially announcing the project for a release around Valentine’s Day in 2020.

Witherspoon recently described the potential sequel to Entertainment Tonight as a “development project”, but said she is very keen to make it happen.

Witherspoon is currently promoting her new Apple TV series The Morning Show, in which she stars alongside Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell.

She has recently appeared on the small screen as one of the stars and producers of HBO drama Big Little Lies.

Read more: HBO defends itself amid Big Little Lies director reports

Her upcoming projects as a producer include a documentary about tennis player Martina Navratilova and drama A White Lie, which will star Zendaya.