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It’s technically a high school movie, but it has something for everyone.
There’s high school drama, sure, but there’s also romance, betrayal, and revenge.
At its core, the story is one of friendship and forgiveness, told with a lot of humor.
But how many people know the behind-the-scenes story of one of the world’s most iconic and beloved films?
From casting switcheroos to the truth about Glen Coco, we’ve got you covered with the 411.
Here’s the real truth of “Mean Girls” that you won’t find in any burn book.
“SNL” creator Lorne Michaels produced the film, which was written by Fey.
“It was frankly discouraged by Paramount,” director Mark Waters toldEntertainment Weekly.
“Paramount didn’t want this movie to be branded as an ‘SNL’ movie.”
There’s another connection between Janis Ian and “Mean Girls.”
Well, Janis Ian was the show’s first-ever musical guest when it debuted in 1975.
“It was a balls-out R-rated movie,” director Mark Waters toldEntertainment Weekly.
“Regina George cussed like a sailor.
She had more F-bombs than Joe Pesci in ‘Goodfellas.’
“Like, you really think a teenage girl speaking about her anatomy [is the problem]?”
For starters, it was originally called Homeschooled.
The casting was also going to be totally different.
Lindsay Lohan, who played Cady, had actually wanted to be Regina.
Amanda Seyfried, who was eventually cast as Karen, also auditioned for the part of Regina.
“The character description physically was very different from me,” she toldEntertainment Weekly.
Amanda Seyfried was 19, and Lacey Chabert turned 21 during filming.
Other pivotal characters were also played by actors who were quite a bit older than they were.
What’s the deal with Glen Coco?
He was played by actor David Reale, who wasn’t even credited for the role.
Reale had auditioned for “Mean Girls” but wasn’t cast.
That didn’t stop him from wandering on set in search of free food, however.
“I was a 19-year-old actor with no money so eating was daily mission,” he toldDazed.
The director recognized him from his audition and decided to put him in a scene.
While he made it into the movie, his time on set wasn’t as exciting as it sounds.
“Tina Fey wrote the line, Daniel Franzese spoke the line…
I just sat in a chair and tried not to stare at Lindsay Lohan,” he said.
“Mean Girls” wasn’t the first offer to turn her book into a film.
“‘They were trying to make it about me ‘You’re so inspirational!’
I didn’t know who she was.
But I knew it was important to her that it was not going to be stupid.”
Fey assured Wiseman that she would do her book justice, and the rest is history.
It turns out that Tina Fey drew from inspiration pretty close to home when writing Regina’s character.
That’s something that Fey’s mother actually does.
“And she’ll say ‘clearly she wanted someone to notice that shirt.
She picked it out.
It has a huge Teddy Bear on it.'”
Some of the inspiration for The Plastics came from Fey herself.
“I was the Mean Girl, I admit it openly,” she toldNet-A-Porter.
At least Jonathan Bennett, the actor who played him, can.
Bennett hopes that the cookbook will bring joy to people and brighten up their lives.
And so this book is meant to bring people together instead of putting them apart.
And what better way to bring people together than over food?”
with some killer songs and dance routines.
The 2011 film wasn’t very well received and holds a measly 30% rating onRotten Tomatoes.
However, there’s a major issue preventing the rebirth of our favorite teen classic.
The original “Mean Girls” was filmed before the stars had become the mega-famous celebs they are today.
“Their quotes are all too high now,” Fey toldET.
“They’re, like, Oscar nominees and stuff.”
“Queen Bees and Wannabes” by Rosalind Wiseman was the main inspiration for the famous movie.
You don’t just talk about supporting women, you actually do it."
And I just was sort of like, ‘Oh, okay.
Ashley Tisdale was also considered for the part.
“We had a difficult time casting Gretchen Weiners,” the movie’s casting director Marci Liroff toldCosmopolitan.
Blake Lively of “Gossip Girl” was another actor who almost became a Plastic.
Jonathan Bennett, who played romantic lead Aaron Samuels, reprised his role in the music video.
Stefanie Drummond, who played one of the high schoolers back in 2004 also made an appearance.
However, the game was never released.
Well, apparently, it all came down to his looks more specifically, who he looked like.
As Bennett explained during aReddit Q&A, Tina Fey thought that Bennett looked like Jimmy Fallon.
“Is there any truth to this?
How was it working with Tina Fey?”
To which Bennett replied: “Yes this is true!
She was awesome.”
We’re talking about Kevin G’s infamous rap (viaYouTube).
While Fey wrote the rest of the screenplay, Poehler reportedly wrote the rap.
Need further proof that Poehler worked on the rap?
And Poehler is a natural.
You might remember the line about his carpal tunnel syndrome and his visible cast on his right hand.
It turns out, this line wasn’t in the original script.
But now, the musical is coming to the big screen in a 2024 movie adaptation.
She added that whether they appear in the movie or not, they are long overdue for a reunion.
