Chandler Kinney Elle season two is already in the can, and the actress is only now beginning to breathe. Having spent the summer playing Kimberly Carter, the arch-nemesis of a young Elle Woods in Amazon Prime Video’s Elle, Kinney tells Popsugar she is currently ‘enjoying the fruits of the labor’ after a period of keeping secrets on behalf of the production.
Early Pickup, Fast Turnaround: What We Know About Elle Season Two
The renewal came quickly. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Elle received its series order in May 2024, before the first season had finished its run. Kinney confirmed to Popsugar that production on the second run has already wrapped. ‘We also got an early pickup and have wrapped on our second season already,’ she said. ‘We’re just stoked for that to be out in the world.’
According to TV Insider, Season 2 is on Prime Video’s upcoming schedule, with a release likely in 2027. Fans unwilling to wait that long for answers may take some comfort from what showrunner Laura Kittrell told Deadline: ‘We pick up in Season 2 right after Season 1 ends. So the cliffhangers that we left you with in Season 1, you will not have to wait long to see how those are going to be resolved.’ Deadline also confirmed that June Diane Raphael and Tom Everett Scott are part of the cast, playing Elle’s mother Eva and father Wyatt respectively.
Kinney, who signed on to the show as a self-described Legally Blonde fan, says the creative draw went beyond nostalgia. ‘To have the opportunity to work with Hello Sunshine, who prioritizes women-led stories, and to be on a women-led set was so incredible,’ she said. ‘Kimberly, for me, was such a creative challenge. It was so fun, as an actor, getting to dig into those layers.’
Chandler Kinney Elle’s ’90s Aesthetic and a New Obsession With Lip Liner
The show’s period setting placed Kinney squarely in the middle of ’90s beauty, and she has come away a convert. ‘I had never been a lip liner girlie, and now I am because that is a key part of Kimberly’s look,’ she told Popsugar. ‘I really got into that!’ The decade’s makeup is not simply a costume for Kinney; it has filtered through into her off-set sensibility as the show’s influence has become hard to separate from her own.
Also running alongside the filming period is a partnership with personal-care brand Hello. Kinney is now the brand’s chief aura officer, a role she describes as her ‘first real foray into self-care’. The connection between the two chapters of her life is deliberate. ‘That actually has now become something I kind of associate that time in my life with,’ she said of the collaboration.
Her day-to-day routine with the brand centres on the Hello Mellow Mint Dream Toothpaste ($7). ‘It’s whipped, it’s fun, it’s light, and a sensorial experience,’ she said. ‘It always puts a smile on my face. And so it’s a great way for me to harvest some good energy to bring into the day and bring into my work.’
Skincare on a Busy Set: Simple, Intentional, With Always Sunscreen Last
On the skincare side, Kinney keeps things deliberate without being elaborate, particularly during production when layers of on-set product are already going onto her skin. ‘I try to keep it pretty simple, especially because I’m putting so many products on my face on a day-to-day basis,’ she said.
Her anchor product is a cleanser. ‘I’m an Osea girlie, so I use the Ocean Cleanser ($48) or the Ocean Cleansing Mud ($48),’ she said. Hydration comes via Caudalie’s Vinoperfect Moisturiser ($65), and the routine closes, without exception, with sunscreen. Kinney’s choice is Supergoop’s Unseen Sunscreen ($38), selected specifically because it sits cleanly on her skin without a lavender cast. ‘I appreciate how lightweight and clear it is. It looks like a nice primer too,’ she said.
‘Always, always sunscreen every single day,’ she added. ‘Even if you think the sun is not out, it’s going to get you. She’s out, she’s just hiding behind the clouds.’
On rest days she rotates masks and exfoliants, though she acknowledges her sensitive skin makes it something of a gamble. ‘It’s kind of like Russian roulette because I don’t know if something is going to be the one that makes me break out or work wonders,’ she said. ‘But I kind of like to risk it sometimes. Usually it turns out OK.’
With Season 2 already filmed and the show building momentum since its May 2024 renewal, the question is simply when Prime Video will schedule its release, with TV Insider placing it likely in 2027.