Loveland High School graduate Heather Hach, 36, was nominated Tuesday for a Tony Award for writing the “book” for the Broadway version of “Legally Blonde.”
Like, ohmigod!
The show revolves around Elle Woods, a blond sorority girl who faces losing the love of her life, Warner Huntington III, to a dull, serious — and politically acceptable — Vivian Kensington.
But underneath Elle’s pink exterior and Valley Girl accent and materialism lies an intelligent, determined woman.
Instead of letting Kensington win, Woods applies to Harvard Law School — and gets in.
From Los Angeles, Hach said Wednesday that she and Elle are alike in many ways.
The 5-foot blonde said she’s always “presentable,” likes shoes and owns a Prada handbag.
With Elle Woods, “they think she’s a ditz because she looks a certain way,” Hach said. “But she gets into Harvard Law School because she got a great score on her LSAT. She’s no idiot; she’s being true to herself.”
In high school, Hach participated in debate and forensics, and she recalls one Lincoln-Douglas match.
“I would show up to debate, and they thought, ‘She’s a cream puff; I can take her,’” she said. “And I would beat them and do really well.”
Hach, who graduated from Loveland High School in 1989, said debate and forensics gave her a sense of confidence and poise.
Later she participated in humor competitions and became a stand-up comedian. She attributes her success to Loveland High teacher Terry Roulier, who is now retired.
In a phone interview Wednesday, Roulier said he’s celebrating Hach’s success.
“I’m not surprised at any of the good things that have come her way,” Roulier said. “She had it within her character to do this.”
Hach’s first big break was writing the script for the 2003 big-screen remake of “Freaky Friday” starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.
Roulier said he saw a lot of Hach’s sense of humor in “Freaky Friday.”
“It’s a little offbeat,” he said.
Hach said she remembers telling “outrageous lies” about her family at a young age.
“Not lies that normal kids tell, like, ‘I have a pony.’ More like, ‘I have brothers in jail, and my parents were divorced,’” she said.
Hach said her life now is a “dream come true.” She’s always been a fan of Reese Witherspoon, who plays the lead in the film version of “Legally Blonde.” One year, Hach said, she dressed up for Halloween as Tracy Flick, the character played by Witherspoon in the 1989 movie “Election.”
Now, her life has come full circle.
She said she got a call Tuesday from Witherspoon to work on a project together. Hach will write the screenplay for “As Bees and Honey Drown,” a comedy about a woman who takes advantage of up-and-coming actors.
Her parents, Muriel and Bruce Hach of Fort Collins, said they are excited to attend the Tony Awards in New York City on June 10.
Bruce Hach said Heather “enlarged stories.”
He said, because of her experience debating, she’s able to pitch screenplays better than others.
“Everything in her career falls together through serendipity,” he said.