THEY say blondes have more fun and in the case of actress Reese Witherspoon (right) it certainly seems to be true.

The head-turning star is the toast of Hollywood thanks to her lead role in the comedy Legally Blonde which has been a massive success in the States.

In the film, ambitious Warner Huntington 111 (Matthew Davis) is dating glamorous Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon).

But when he wins a place at Harvard Law School, he dumps her, believing it would be career suicide for an aspiring political heavyweight to date a blonde.

Elle is devastated and her misery is compounded when she learns that Warner is dating a brunette.

Determined to win her man back, she schemes her way into Harvard, where she discovers a wealth of untapped legal savvy.

Soon she is embroiled in a high profile murder case in Beverly Hills - now the fight is no longer just for Warner, but for justice and respect as well.

It was a role Witherspoon was eager to play, not just because it's bound to make her a household name, but because she was also keen to dispel the myths about good-looking blondes. In fact, the actress insists the movie has a strong feminist message.

"It's all about how you shouldn't judge a woman by how they look," she says.

"What I love about this movie is that it really questions your perceptions.

"It's so easy to jump to conclusions about people in life and I was really interested in exploring the differences between how a person looks externally and who they are inside," she explains.

As a stunning natural blonde herself, Witherspoon admits she has first-hand experience of being misjudged but it's clear this 25-year-old has brains and beauty in equal measures.

Next up, Witherspoon is honing her talents to star in the new British movie The Importance of Being Earnest, alongside Dame Judi Dench.

Then there's a new role as private eye Honey West in the big budget Miramax movie of the same name.

All in all the future's looking very rosy for the blonde who admits her hair colour just might have played a part in her success.

"I'm a lot tougher than I look," she stresses. "I adore being a girlie girl, but I'm also very tough and know what I want out of life. It's important in this business to have an opinion. Otherwise someone else will have it for you. I want to be the sort of actress who has a long career and is taken seriously."