Lexi Minetree, star of the newly released Legally Blonde prequel "Elle," has shared her experiences working with the late James Van Der Beek, who filmed his final screen role for the series. Van Der Beek died in February at the age of 48 after a battle with colorectal cancer.

Minetree, who plays a teenage Elle Woods in the series, recalled Van Der Beek's presence on set, describing him as having a natural charisma and kindness. "When I first met him, we were in the hair and makeup trailer, and I remember he just walked in and he has this natural charisma about him," Minetree told Josh Smith's Great Chat Show podcast. "It almost felt like Matthew McConaughey was walking in, he just has such a charm and a kindness to him."

Van Der Beek played mayoral candidate and school superintendent Dean Wilson in "Elle." Minetree noted that despite his personal health struggles, Van Der Beek approached his work with energy and interacted warmly with everyone on set.

"He, of all people, had the right to not have energy and introduce himself. And yet, he went up to every person in that room and was like, 'I am James.' And just like seeing him work, he was incredible," Minetree said. She added that he was "hilarious" and that his charisma was "absolutely wonderful."

Minetree expressed her pride in having worked with Van Der Beek, stating that his death was heartbreaking. "I'm really proud to have gone to work with him, and I broke my heart to hear about what had happened," she admitted. "But I hope when people watch it, they just see what a talent he was. And I think people are going to see the charm that just like, rolls off of him."

Family on Set

One of Minetree's cherished memories was when Van Der Beek brought his daughters, Annabel, 12, and Emilia, 10, to the set. His wife, Kimberly, recently spoke about these visits at the premiere of "Elle," sharing that the daughters had the opportunity to spend time with their father while he was filming.

"Emilia and Annabel had the pleasure of separately being on set with him," Kimberly wrote in a social media post. "They treated the kiddos beautifully and he was so proud of this role... especially because his daughters were so looking forward to watching it!"

Positivity Amidst Illness

Caroline Dries, a co-showrunner for "Elle," echoed Minetree's sentiments, describing Van Der Beek as a consistent source of positivity during production, even while managing his health battle privately. Dries mentioned that Van Der Beek found solace in acting, as it allowed him to step away from his personal struggles.

"James told me that acting allowed him to be someone [else] and forget the pain he was in," Dries said. "But even off camera, James appeared to be buoyant and happy." She also recalled his ability to blend work and family life seamlessly, noting his kindness and storytelling while on set.

"He brought his daughters to set, he sat with us on plastic folding chairs in video village, he made us laugh, he told us stories and he showed us nothing but kindness," Dries added. "This would be James' last role. Our cast gave him the space to feel that joy."

In an interview with People, Dries emphasized that it was a "privilege" to offer Van Der Beek a welcome distraction through his work on the series. She reiterated his own words: "When I'm acting, I forget all the stuff I'm going through personally, and I get to become a different person, and you can just turn that part of your life off."