‘What, Like It’s Hard?’ Reese Witherspoon Channels Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods as She Visits Harvard

Reese Witherspoon was back in a familiar setting.

The actress and producer, 48, was spotted at Harvard Business School earlier this week — a fun callback to her time starring in Legally Blonde as Elle Woods, who attended Harvard Law School.

Witherspoon, dressed in a black pleated skirt, black cardigan sweater and heels, checked out the prestigious school in Boston’s Lower Allston neighborhood on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

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Kate Maistrenko, who was in town to row in the Head of the Charles with the Ukrainian Olympic team, spotted Witherspoon and chatted with her about everything from Witherspoon’s company, Hello Sunshine, to the star’s support for Maistrenko’s home country of Ukraine.

“We talked for, like, 10 minutes. It was really, really nice conversation,” Maistrenko, who was attending some lectures as a guest while in town, tells PEOPLE. “She wished me all the best with my rowing.”

“She’s a rock star in everything that she does,” the athlete continues, noting that Witherspoon was “super friendly” and “so sweet.”

“I’m a woman in STEM, and I support women in business, so it’s always nice to see somebody who has an influence on the world to make a global impact,” Maistrenko adds.

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Following her time at Harvard, Witherspoon was spotted having dinner with a group of friends at The ‘Quin House, a private social club in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.

The star’s rumored boyfriend, financier Oliver Haarmann, received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. 

Witherspoon, who played the iconic Woods in the first two Legally Blonde films, confirmed that she’s reprising her role in a third installment of the beloved rom-com franchise in June 2018.

Back in April, Deadline reported that a Legally Blonde spinoff series was also being produced with Hello Sunshine and Amazon MGM studios, though no plot details were revealed.