June Diane Raphael, who plays Eva Woods in Prime Video’s “Legally Blonde” prequel “Elle”, was a scene-stealer long before she was Elle Woods’ mom — and you likely saw her in some big-name projects over the years.
“Elle” follows the titular character (played by Lexi Minetree) as she says goodbye to Bel-Air and struggles to make Seattle her new home. Raphael’s Eva is just as stylish as her daughter and is determined to further her social presence in Seattle, one party invite at a time.
If Raphael’s charming performance in the Prime Video series won you over, know that her deadpan humor has made audiences laugh time and time again throughout the years. From starring as Jess’s (Zoey Deschanel) OB/GYN bestie Dr. Sadie in “New Girl” to embodying conservative news anchor Ashley Andrews in “The Morning Show,” her comedic chops are hard to deny. She’s also proven herself behind the camera as the co-writer of “Bride Wars” and as the sharp-tongued voice behind Devin LeSeven in “Big Mouth.”
Before she was cast in prestige TV comedies like “Veep” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Raphael starred in films like David Fincher’s “Zodiac” and Judd Apatow’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” Yet, her most notable acting credit to date is in “Grace and Frankie,” in which she played Jane Fonda’s bold, entrepreneurial daughter, Brianna Hanson.
Before June Diane Raphael played Elle Woods’s mom, she was a standout in Grace and Frankie
Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie” focuses on Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin) as they bond after their respective husbands decide to divorce them and marry each other. Brianna was a supporting character who quickly became a standout. Sharp-tongued and unapologetically ambitious, she stopped at nothing to get to the top.
Brianna and Grace had a complex relationship in the series because they were both business-oriented. “Brianna is who she is because of Grace’s failings as a mother and yet also because of who Grace is as a woman and a role model,” June Diane Raphael told CherryPicks in 2022.
Speaking of mother-daughter duos, Elle and Eva Woods also have a compelling dynamic on screen. Moving to Seattle isn’t easy for either of them, and they rely on each other for solace. Although Elle slowly finds her crowd, Eva still misses the luxuries of Bel-Air, and that takes a toll on her relationship with her daughter. Raphael has said she wanted to play Elle’s mother for this very reason.
“I hadn’t seen a show like this since ‘Gilmore Girls,'” Raphael told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was a mother-daughter story that was loving and supportive, and without any of that weird competition. I was like, ‘I would die to do this.'”
We can anticipate even more heartwarming scenes between Elle and Eva Woods: “Elle” was renewed for Season 2 before its Season 1 release.