James Van Der Beek's Final Role Honored in Elle Prequel

The late actor James Van Der Beek is being remembered through his final role in Amazon Prime's "Elle," a prequel to "Legally Blonde." Set in 1995 Seattle, the series features Lexi Minetree as a young Elle Woods. Van Der Beek plays Dean Wilson, a mayoral candidate and the school's superintendent, who develops a friendship with Elle's mother. His appearance occurs in the third episode, culminating in a tribute screen that reads, "In loving memory of James Van Der Beek."

Colleagues have shared moving tributes to Van Der Beek. Writer Jacob Moskovitz recalled him as "an absolute light" on set, noting his willingness to connect with the crew during lunch. June Diane Raphael, who plays Elle's mother, highlighted his constant talk about his family, revealing the deep love he had for his wife and children. These sentiments were echoed by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner, who described him as a man of "high character and high faith" and "pure integrity."