Her role as Professor Stromwell in the 2001 hit comedy film Legally Blonde, starring Reese Witherspoon, was just one of her many unforgettable performances of her six-decade career.
In a new interview with Vulture, Holland Taylor fondly looks back and recalls her time filming Legally Blonde, as well as how she and longtime partner Sarah Paulson have been coping during these uncertain times in quarantine.
The couple split their lockdown time between their two houses in Los Angeles, which are just a five minute drive between each other.
Coping with crisis: Holland Taylor, 77, shared about how she and partner Sarah Paulson, 45, are coping with quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Taylor and Holland have been together for over five years. But like most people, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve had to reconfigure their relationship in order to stay safe.
‘We spend the long weekend up at her house, and I’m by myself here [Holland’s house] for two days, and we spend one day together here [Holland’s house] . So we go back and forth.,’ she explained of their living arrangement.
At 77, the Pennsylvania native revealed things started to ‘feel strange’ about four months into lockdown.
Making it work: The Pennsylvania native says she and Paulson go between their two house each week since they went into lockdown mode in March
Going strong: Taylor and Paulson have been together for over five years
Holland confessed that all the moving around from house to house has helped with her state of mind during this ‘really, really strange’ time, and that she won’t be able to go back to work until the dangers of the virus have subsided, with the exception of ‘very unique circumstances.’
‘I don’t know what it will be like when actors can really be in a big film production, 150 people,’ she added.
When asked if their living situation is the ideal relationship scenario of having time together and apart, Taylor agreed, for the most part.
‘I think it is. I mean, we’re mostly together, and we both have a little time where you just don’t have anybody to answer to, without any sort of accommodating someone else’s plans,’ she said.
‘So it’s good for me because I’m older, and I’ve been so independent all my life, so it works out well.’
Change is good: Holland confessed that all the moving around from house to house has helped with her state of mind during this ‘really, really strange’ time,
One of Holland’s fondest memories from her acting career, that dates back to the mid-1960s, was her time on the set of Legally Blonde.
‘It’s a very clever idea, and a really charming entry into the area of women’s rights and the perception of women in our society,’ she said of the comedy that starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a sorority girl who attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend by getting a degree at Harvard Law School.
‘Reese Witherspoon is just remarkable. She’s one of our marvelous actresses who has brought a number of roles that will be indelible culturally, and this is one of them.’
She added: ‘And it was just a classic case of playing a professional person who had real resonance with the audience.’
Like many of her roles, Taylor only had a handful of scenes in Legally Blonde, but she made the most of them, to the enjoyment of the legion of fans the franchise still has to this day.
Career highlight: One of Holland’s fondest memories from her acting career, that dates back to the mid-1960s, was her time on the set of Legally Blonde
Impactful: ‘It’s a very clever idea, and a really charming entry into the area of women’s rights and the perception of women in our society,’ Taylor said of the comedy that starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods