When thinking about Legally Blonde, most fans will likely mention the iconic ‘bend and snap’ scene as being one of their favorite moments. But now, the movie’s writers have revealed that the memorable move almost didn’t make it into the movie at all.
In fact, the now-famous scene from the movie was supposed to be about a robbery, with writers Karen McCullah and Kirsten ‘Kiwi’ Smith explaining to EW that they had originally had their hearts set on a more crime-focused moment, until the pair got drunk in a bar and dreamed up the salacious ‘bend and snap’ move.
‘Producer Marc Platt wanted a B plot for Paulette. At first we were like, “Should the store be robbed?”‘ Karen explained of their thought process.
Alternate scene: The most iconic scene from Legally Blonde – the ‘bend and snap’ was originally supposed to be a store robbery
Iconic scene: In the 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon, 42, her character Elle Woods teaches manicurist Paulette, played by Jennifer Coolidge, 56, the move to attract the UPS guy
Meanwhile co-writer Kirsten chimed in saying, ‘I think we spent a week or two trying to figure out what the B plot and this big set piece should be.
‘There were crime plots. We were pitching scene after scene and it all felt very tonally weird,’ Kirsten confessed.
Everything changed when the two writers were out at a bar in LA when a thought popped into Karen’s head.
‘What if Elle shows Paulette a move so she can get the UPS guy?’ she said to Kirsten.
Kirsten admitted that she immediately jumped out of her seat and demonstrated the ‘bend and snap’ and the rest was history.
In the 2001 hit film Reese’s character Elle Woods teaches nail technician Paulette, played by Jennifer Coolidge, 56, how to bend down sexually before standing back up in order to seduce men.
Elle teaches Paulette the move in hopes that it will help her get the attention of the UPS delivery man that she loves but the producers admitted it wasn’t originally going to happen and instead the scene was going to be a nail salon robbery.
‘It was a spontaneous invention. It was a completely drunken moment in a bar,’ Kirsten admitted.
The two women also explained how the move eventually became a dance hit in Italy, weirdly enough, and both writers credited director Robert Luketic.
‘It became a dance move in gay discos in Italy,’ Karen confessed.
Bend and snap: The dance move feautres Elle bending down slowly to touch her toes before snapping back up to standing
Idea: Co-writer Karen McCullah said they were originally going to have the nail salon robbed and make it a crime plot until her and co-writer Kirsten ‘Kiwi’ Smith thought of it at a bar
‘Jennifer Coolidge was over there shortly after the movie and said everyone was doing it on the dance floor.’
Aside from one of the most iconic scenes almost getting the cut, the writers also admitted the ending scene of the film was going to be totally different.
While the real ending of the film sees Elle giving her breath-taking speech at the Harvard graduation podium, it almost became a love story.
Karen continued to EW, ‘Originally it ended at the courthouse, right after the trial.
‘Everyone was congratulating Elle and Emmett played by Luke Wilson, 46, comes up and gives her a kiss.
‘Then there was a tag where it was a year in the future and she and Vivian, who was now blonde, had started the Blonde Legal Defense Fund and they were in the quad handing out pamphlets.’
However, no one seemed to like that ending and Karen admitted, ‘The test-screening audience didn’t feel like it was an exciting enough ending for Elle success-wise.’
While Kirsten added, ‘They knew that this was not a movie about a girl getting a guy. The kiss made it seem like it was a rom-com.’
Thankfully they changed the alternate ending and if it wasn’t for the writers changes we would have never had the movie we love today.