WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – Elaine Hendrix has worn many hats in a career that has spanned the stage, the big screen and television – including actress, writer, producer and spokesperson. For many fans, it will always be the unforgettable Meredith Blake The Parent Trap. But, the woman that many audiences met in 1998 as a singer who rebuilt her life after a terrible accident, and an award-winning activist who used her platform to advocate for causes from animal rights, LGBTQ + equality and women’s rights.
Hendrix’s next role comes with a crown. He will reign as Queen of the 2026 North Carolina Azalea Festivalwhen he returned to Wilmington for a party he said he will never forget.
“I’m going to get my friends and family to start calling me ‘Queen'”, Hendrix joked, not hiding his excitement – or his sense of humor – about taking on the royal role. I think I’ll give myself permission to continue on the weekend.
Hendrix attended the Azalea Festival for the first time in 2009, at the invitation of the actress and Wilmington native. Beth Grantand the experience left him with wonderful memories.
“It was the most amazing experience I’ve ever been a part of,” Hendrix said. So, when they asked me to be the queen, I said, ‘Yeah, I have to go back for that.’
His strongest thoughts from that weekend? Speed, power – and a certain motoring experience that felt like a movie in itself.
He said: “I don’t think I slept, we were always on the go. “They were putting us in these cars… we were approaching these streets with traffic blocked. I think that was probably one of the funnest things.”
Hendrix was born in Tennessee and spent his childhood years there before training as a dancer and eventually moving with his mother to Atlanta, where she helped him pursue acting. Hendrix credits his mother, who became his “plus one” at the Azalea Festival in 2009, for encouraging him to embrace touring and take his talent seriously. When Hendrix was faced with the decision of whether to continue playing or go to college, he says his mother gave him advice that he still takes to heart.
“My mother, who had her master’s degree, who worked in higher education for over 30 years, said to me, ‘I don’t think you should go to college now, you can always go to college.
That influence helped Hendrix in his professional career, which included dancing in early music videos for recording artists including MC Hammer, before a tragic moment changed his career path. While riding his bicycle around Los Angeles in 1992, he was hit by a car and seriously injured. Hendrix endured a painful eight-month long course of physical therapy, and the incident forced a change in his career plan, relying heavily on acting.
Hendrix got another chance to be a dancer in 2025, when he joined the cast of the ABC show. Dancing with the Stars. Even with his background, the program was more difficult than he expected.
He said: “That surprised me because as hard as I expected it to be, it was even more so. But what I really want to emphasize is how important it was.
But he also described it as something more serious than a TV competition.
“Being in that program was a dream second chance for me,” Hendrix said, explaining that after the injury he never thought he’d train at that level again. One of the gifts it gave me was to look back and say, ‘You know, I’ve been through some things, and I’ve actually overcome them, and it’s wonderful!’
During the competition, Hendrix suffered a serious rib injury and had to miss the DWTS performance. He eventually returned to the show, and along the way became a fan favorite. Hendrix admits that he got a little choked up when he said how excited the audience was for his comeback and success.
He said: “I was competing with very young people, half my age, people with millions and millions of followers on the Internet. “Even though I had everything in my heart and I knew what I was capable of doing, I didn’t know (what) the reaction (would be). When I got injured, I said, ‘No, now people are like that, they are not like that anymore.
When Hendrix returned to work after a cycling accident, he began to build a CV that quickly expanded into television and film. His previous posts included features on such shows Doogie Howser, MD (1992), Evening shade (1993), and Days of Our Lives (1994) along with seven repeated events in the Get Smart reux in 1997. He appeared in the famous 1997 movie Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunionbefore starting his final role a year later, as a manager Meredith Blake in the 1998s Parent Trap, opposite Dennis Quaid and a young actress named Lindsey Lohan.
He said: “It was a last-minute audition. He was called that morning to read that afternoon. He soon found himself in a room with director Nancy Meyers, screenwriter Charles Shyer, Quaid, Lohan and Lisa Ann Walter, who is now Hendrix’s best friend.
“Then the next thing I know, I got it,” Hendrix said.
Later, he learned from Shyer how competitive it is to find what is right Meredith Blake it was.
She says: “Charles came up to me and said, ‘You were the 433rd actress we saw. “When I saw (the script), I said, ‘Oh, I know exactly what to do with her.’ I felt very confident.”
It’s hard to overstate the staying power of a The Parent Trap. In our newsroom, even the youngest employees – some who were not even born when the film premiered in 1998 – still recognize Hendrix immediately from his picture. Blake. That human experience surprises him, too.
“I really like it,” Hendrix said. There is very little you can plan for in this industry.
During our conversation, some Hendrix trivia turned into a fun moment. I brought up the fact that he was the first person I interviewed who had a Happy Meal toy at McDonald’s. I was referring to his role as G2 in the 2003 film Inspector Gadget 2. Hendrix beamed when we talked about it.
“Thank you very much for bringing that up because I talk about it all the time, and people don’t seem too happy about it,” he said with a smile. But I think that’s one of the funnest things to have at work!
Hendrix told me that he has even collected four models of the G2 toy and has hundreds of them that he uses at various events.
In addition to acting, Hendrix is also a writer and has expanded into producing, including being the co-producer of 2025’s. Ginger Twins, an Off-Broadway play inspired by “The Parent Trap.”
He is also known for his advocacy work. In 2022, the international animal rights movement Last Chance for Animals is a tribute to Hendrix with its Celebrity Activist Award. In making the announcement, the team said, “For more than two decades, Hendrix has dedicated his life to rescuing, guiding, raising, adopting, speaking, protesting, demonstrating, lobbying, educating, sheltering and caring for animals in need”.
As she prepares to return to Wilmington as Queen of Azalea, Hendrix says her focus isn’t on the view but more on the people she’ll meet.
He said: “I like to connect with people, so I’m happy to be there with everyone who loves this festival so much and meet new people.” “And Wilmington, I don’t think I’ve been back since. The last party (in 2009) So, I’m excited to see how it’s changed, and I’m just happy to be a part of it!
I hope you enjoy interviewing Meredith Blake as much as I did. Be sure to wave or say ‘hello’ to her when she is crowned Queen Azalea for the 2026 North Carolina Azalea Festival.
You can watch a video from the podcast interview by clicking here.
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