Cabrillo Music Theatre had a talkback session with its cast after Saturday’s matinee performance of “Legally Blonde.” The cast fielded questions from the audience, but for me, the most meaningful answer of the day came from actress Natalie Storrs, a Thousand Oaks resident who plays the role of no-nonsense law student Vivienne Kensington. Natalie was asked about the transformation of her character, who initially resents blonde freshman Elle Woods and thinks of her as an opportunistic bimbo. Here’s what Natalie said (note: spoiler alert!):
“When we get back from the trial, and Callahan is talking about how Elle has proven herself to be a fantastic lawyer, for me, I start to realize that it’s true, that this girl is really smart and is very talented, and I read her wrong, but there’s still that pride there. The real moment, though, for me, is seeing her get kissed and then slaps Callahan. My character then realizes that, as women, we are in this together, and there are a lot of challenges that women have to overcome, especially women that look like Elle. That really changes my heart as Vivienne, and makes me want to get behind her and want her to really succeed now.”
You can read my review of “Legally Blonde” in this week’s edition of the Acorn.
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