- - - Elaine Hendrix Is Coming Back to “The Parent Trap”,“ ”but Not for a Sequel: 'Justice for Meredith Blake!' (Exclusive)

Madeleine JanzJuly 18, 2025 at 10:30 PM

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Elaine Hendrix in 1998's 'The Parent Trap'

Elaine Hendrix, who originated the Meredith Blake character in Nancy Meyers' 1998 The Parent Trap, is producing Kevin Zak's off-Broadway parody of the movie, Ginger Twinsies

On July 11, the actress hosted a Meredith Blake lookalike contest after one of the play's first previews

Hendrix and Zak spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about bringing the beloved movie to the stage with a fresh perspective

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Elaine Hendrix is back in the world of The Parent Trap, but not for a sequel. The originator of Meredith Blake in the 1998 Nancy Meyers movie is producing Kevin Zak's off-Broadway parody Ginger Twinsies, which simultaneously spoofs and honors the Disney film.

When she first got the call about getting involved, though, she wasn't so sure. "I'm very protective of The Parent Trap, so I hear parody and I'm like, 'Oh gosh, okay,' " Hendrix tells PEOPLE.

But the Dynasty actress was being asked by her friend Jenny Steingart, who was already signed on to produce Ginger Twinsies. Hendrix's trust in Steingart brought her to New York for a workshop on the play, and she was immediately won over by Zak and his work.

Previews started July 10 and have served as a moment of reflection for the actress whose work in the film 27 years ago has remained evergreen.

"I'm sitting there and I obviously have a very different perspective than everyone else watching it," she says. "People know the movie so well, and it's fun to feel that, and I can tell that they're waiting to see how the play is going to tackle each moment. And I don't think it's disappointing."

Valerie Terranova

Phillip Taratula and Elaine Hendrix after a performance of 'Ginger Twinsies'

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Ginger Twinsies was born out of Zak's continuing love for the 1998 classic, which he first watched in theaters after returning from camp one summer. He was the same age as Lindsay Lohan's Annie and Hallie and was drawn into their world immediately.

Following a charity table read of the original script a few years ago during which two men read for Hallie and Annie, Zak had the idea to take the gender-swapped and race-swapped parody a step further.

His reverence for the source material is immediately clear when watching the 80-minute comedy, and the laughs don't feel cheap. From deep-cut references to everything from Stomp to Love Actually, the audience has to stay on their toes during Ginger Twinsies.

"Everything that everyone thinks about the movie, Zak has said out loud here. We got to enjoy it about the movie, and now we get to enjoy it about the play," Hendrix says, including how four 11-year-olds got those bunks on the cabin roof and the improbability of Chessy and Martin's relationship.

With Russell Daniels as Annie and Aneesa Folds as Hallie, and a very flexible ensemble cast including TikTok comedy favorites Mitch Wood and Grace Reiter, the play keeps its momentum all the way through its thesis, a rousing #JusticeForMeredithBlake speech given by Phillip Taratula, who expertly plays the iconic character onstage.

"I had to go in to her playing her that I was not the villain," Hendrix says of preparing for her role as Meredith. "So I've been on that train from day one. But it was literally the millennials who came along and were like, 'Hold up. Whoa, whoa, whoa.' And now justice for Meredith Blake is getting to really be broadcast out there."

"We wanted to give Meredith Blake the Wicked treatment," Zak adds. "She's our Elphaba in this version."

Valerie Terranova

The cast of 'Ginger Twinsies'

For the director, getting Hendrix on board was a major pinch-me moment and put the pressure on, hoping she would like what he did with the material. There was also the pressure of appeasing a room full of mega fans of the movie each night.

Now, Zak gets a real kick out of hearing what most grabs the audience.

"My friend Madeline told me that after tie-dye girl, she wore tie-dye for years and everyone has something different from the movie like that," he says. "I think that's one of the reasons why it spiderwebbed globally, and you can hear different pockets of the theater laugh at different things that are really specific, which I love hearing. Last night, as soon as Philip pulled out the sticks someone shouted, 'Yes!' "

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Lindsay Lohan and Elaine Hendrix in '1998's 'The Parent Trap'

Revisiting these moments from The Parent Trap is even sweeter for Hendrix now after reconnecting with Lohan after over 25 years on the set for the upcoming sequel Freakier Friday.

The actress says there was an easy familiarity between them when they saw each other again for the first time, even though so much time had passed since their last time working together.

"There was a certain element that was kind of like, 'Hey,' because we had this very big experience together," Hendrix says. "And even though we both have gone on very different paths in very different phases of our lives, we have this shared experience, and I know that she's gotten attention from it just the way that I have, too, so we'll always have that bond."

Valerie Terranova

Elaine Hendrix (center) poses with participants of the Meredith Blake Lookalike Contest at 'Ginger Twinsies'

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On July 11, Hendrix joined the rest of the creative team at The Orpheum Theater for the show's second preview night and celebrated the occasion with a Meredith Blake Lookalike Contest. From plastic lizards taped to Evian bottles to fabulous hats, super fans flocked to the stage after the play to do their best Meredith impression.

Hendrix, 54, moderated the competition and let the audience ultimately decide who was the best "ice woman." One contestant, bedecked in black athletic wear and the perfect-sized claw clip, won the contest and a host of prizes from the production team.

Valerie Terranova

Elaine Hendrix (right) and the winner of the Meredith Blake Lookalike Contest at 'Ginger Twinsies'

Seeing the flow of Meredith lookalikes join her onstage was a lot to process for Hendrix, who says she gets approached about the movie almost daily. She can't begin to wrap her head around the fact that so many people still revere not only The Parent Trap, but also her supposedly villainous character.

"It's just love coming at me so I just embrace it as love. The fact that it's around a movie character and it's a character that they grew up with and what it means to them, that starts to get a little too big," she says. "I just have to try to keep it at its most simple, basic love."

Tickets for Ginger Twinsies are on sale now.

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Source: “AOL AOL Entertainment”