Haylie Duff discusses new MTV series Legally Blonde The Musical
June 3, 2008 by Cheril Vernon
Here’s a snippet from the HilaryNews.com interview with actress Haylie Duff from the new reality series Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods.
Duff stars in and executive produces along with Revielle the MTV all-pink series that gives 10 contestants the opportunity to see what it takes to star in a Broadway musical. The winner will get the chance to replace Tony Award-nominated Laura Bell Bundy in the role of “Elle Woods” in the Broadway musical.
The first episode premiered Monday, June 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and will continue for seven more weeks with a series of challenges
Here’s a portion of the interview which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the new series:
HilaryNews: How did you get involved with the show, Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods?
They sent the episode break down to my agent, and I read it over. Having done Hairspray, it really meant a lot. I felt a real emotional connection to it.
What was your best experience on the show?
Oh, I just loved all of it. I think I’d have to say that [the best thing was] being Executive Producer on the show - that aspect of it.Learning. Figuring out what to do with the girls in each episode and watching the girls grow from episode to episode. It was an amazing experience.
What would viewers be most surprised to know about what happened behind the scenes during the filming of the show?
I think people would be surprised to know that it’s really a 24 hour show. The girls are on camera every hour, from when they get up to eat breakfast to when they go to sleep. It’s a lot of pressure on top of the training (the music and the dance). It was a lot more than I expected too.
You have to be ready to go at the drop of a hat. To go diffuse a situation: a fight or anything. I really didn’t expect that. It’s a full-time job.
Did you have an immediate favorite for the new Elle Woods?
Yes, though it’s terrible to say. We all started out with favorites - the director, and the judges. We all had different favorites, though, which was weird. So, we would battle behind the monitors where the girls couldn’t see us, “My girl was better in this workshop! And my girl was better in this one!”
However, with more and more girls going home, it was hard to keep favorites. Girls don’t do well in some things, and some girls really shone in some workshops.
Tell me a little bit about your Broadway experience, for Hairspray.
Oh, it was wonderful. I loved it. What can I say? It was awesome.
How is it working on Broadway, versus television or movies?
Cast members are so close [on Broadway]. It really becomes a united team effort. Isabel Keating, who played my mom on the show, is a Tony Award Winning actress. She really was amazing to work with. She’s so aware of her body, of her voice and her movements. I once told her that she is everything that someone aspires to be.
I learned a lot about myself on the show - what I was able to do and how hard I could push myself. I didn’t know if I could do theater before this, it was my first show.
Images Courtesy of MTV/Justin Borucki
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