As a devoted fan of the iconic 2004 film “Mean Girls,” my life has been a rollercoaster of emotions since its release. The news that Tina Fey, the genius behind the script, initially considered writing a sequel and later regretted her decision leaves me feeling a mix of nostalgia and disappointment. If only I could have convinced her otherwise!
“On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was.”
Since its release on April 30, 2004, October 3rd has been known as “Mean Girls Day,” marking the film’s new anniversary and a lasting pop culture reference. However, it’s unlikely that Gretchen Wieners’ father, the creator of Toaster Strudel, would appreciate Tina Fey not fully understanding the significance of this day at first.
In an interview with Gayety in January, the writer of the Broadway musical revealed that they hadn’t realized until the production started how significant October 3 had become – it’s something audiences remember due to the character saying “It’s October 3,” which was only a minor joke in the original film. The writer aimed to advance the story by incorporating this detail more prominently, likely inspired by Rosalind Wiseman’s book “Queen Bees and Wannabes.
Additionally, it isn’t really her fault that fans adore the film’s romantic line or so; in the movie, Cady Herron (played by Lindsay Lohan) is always thrilled by any chance to connect with Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett), her heartthrob crush with stylish side-swept hair that could have left Justin Bieber envious. At a certain moment, he queries about the date.
Twenty years on, that particular date has almost transformed into a national celebration of sorts, with enthusiasts commonly donning pink and indulging in cheese fries as a mark of commemoration. Well done, Glen Coco!
Since we’re not just ordinary fans, but passionate enthusiasts of the movie that featured Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried as the Plastics, and has inspired a 2024 film adaptation of the Broadway musical, we’re marking the anniversary of what is widely recognized as one of the most influential pop culture moments concerning a date in history.
Even though it has a 30% likelihood that it’s currently raining, there is a guaranteed 100% certainty that you’ll find these fascinating backstage tidbits about Mean Girls delightful:
During his visit to Toronto where she was shooting ‘Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen’, director Mark Waters approached Lindsay Lohan and inquired whether she’d like to join his film project. What she desired most for the role, however, was the one she had specifically in mind.
She had expressed her desire to portray Regina in a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, having recently played roles in Confessions and Freaky. She wasn’t the popular girl at school, but instead yearned to be the popular one on set. However, at only 17 years old, she faced challenges in finding a suitable Cady to challenge her Regina, and the immense success of Freaky Friday made it evident to those in charge that a change was required.
In a conversation with Vulture in 2014, Tina Fey shared that Sherry Lansing, who was in charge at Paramount then, insisted that Lindsay Lohan should take on the leading role in “Mean Girls”. The reasoning behind this was that having Lohan play the villain wouldn’t be suitable as her fans wouldn’t accept it. Unfortunately, it fell on Fey to convey this decision to Lohan, who reluctantly agreed to play the lead role, adding that at least she would have more lines to deliver.
2. Prior to switching out Lindsay Lohan from the role of Regina, director Mark Waters held auditions with several actresses reading opposite Lohan for the part of Cady. One of these contenders was a 24-year-old Rachel McAdams at that time.
In conversation with Vulture, Waters recalled, “I saw her perform that scene, and when it ended, I told her, ‘I believe you have the star quality for movies, but this character is too young for your age. You won’t be convincing as an ingenue.’ To which she replied, ‘I understand, I see where you’re coming from.’
In the search for a fresh Regina, it was an instinctive choice to cast McAdams. As she explained to EW, Mark suggested, “I envision Cady slightly younger, but I believe it fits if Regina matured somewhat prematurely.
3. To secure the role of Regina, McAdams first needed to persuade the director to overlook another potential co-star, Amanda Seyfried, who had been strongly favored for the villainous lead prior to transforming into the quirky character Karen. “She auditioned for Regina and was remarkably good, presenting a very distinct take from Rachel’s. She portrayed it in a more ethereal yet somewhat ominous manner. She was more chilling, but surprisingly less intimidating,” Waters commented, mentioning that it was Lorne Michaels who proposed her as “the dim-witted girl.
He continued, “So she came in and read it and nailed it, and we got the best of both worlds.”
4. It’s hard to envision Mean Girls without Tim Meadows and Amy Pohler in their respective roles as Mr. Duvall and Mrs. George, yet Waters confessed that Paramount had some reservations.
He mentioned to Vulture that Paramount had a peculiar apprehension towards “Saturday Night Live”. Previously, they had faced some disappointments with films based on “Saturday Night Live” produced by Lorne Michaels. Hence, they preferred to minimize the involvement of “Saturday Night Live” actors in “Mean Girls”, as too much association might give the impression of an “SNL” movie, potentially deterring viewers from it.
In reference to Meadows, it was mentioned that he had numerous disagreements with the studio, as he had been the lead in a less successful remake of “The Ladies Man” produced by Paramount. This information was shared by Waters.
5. It was beneficial that Waters chose Poehler for the role because she played a crucial part in making mathlete Kevin Gnapoor’s talent-show rap a reality. In truth, Fey trusted her former Saturday Night Live co-host to write the hit song that Rajiv Surendra performed.
Waters disclosed that he would acknowledge Amy for her role in this, as Amy is more versed in rap music. It turns out that Amy taught him the rapping skills and even provided some dance moves and choreography for it.
6. When Paramount submitted Mean Girls to the MPAA for a rating, they initially aimed to give it an R rating, surprisingly. The studio then needed to argue their case to make sure the film was accessible to its intended younger audience.
In a PG-13 film, we needed to remove numerous elements according to Fey in 2018, as she recalled thinking, “If this were about a boys’ school, ‘Have you lost your virginity?’ wouldn’t have been necessary.” The line was changed to the more innocent “Has your muffin been buttered?” Not all changes were accommodations by the filmmakers; some were necessitated due to the movie’s content.
In a conversation with Vulture, Waters stated, “The border I’d drawn was the joke regarding the wide-spaced vagina. The ratings board said, ‘We can’t grant you a PG-13 unless you remove that line.’ We argued that they were being sexist since Anchorman, featuring Ron Burgundy with an on-screen erection, had secured a PG-13 rating. We contended, ‘You’re only objecting because it’s a woman discussing a part of her body. There’s no sexual context at all, and to claim this limits the audience is insulting to women everywhere.’ Eventually, they were forced to reconsider their decision.
7. It was indeed Jonathan Bennett who had the fortunate opportunity to inquire about the date from Lohan – it was October 3!, yet there were several other potential candidates for the part of Aaron Samuels.
In a 2014 conversation with Cosmopolitan magazine, Daniel Franzese (the actor known for his role as Damian), shared an interesting tidbit: The role initially was offered to a well-known actor, but he ended up getting dismissed during the initial reading session.
In a cautious manner, Franzese noted that another performer hadn’t trimmed his beard nor removed his hat; instead, he maintained an air of nonchalance. Fearing identification and potential embarrassment, Franzese stated this. Onlookers would approach him, suggesting, “Maybe you should take off your hat.” Shortly after the script reading, the actor was let go, and Jonathan Bennett, who seemed to be their backup option, was summoned instead.
8. Apart from what he had already disclosed, Franzese also shared an interesting tidbit. He mentioned that Lindsay had told him previously that James Franco was under consideration for the role of Aaron Samuels, even before the actor who was eventually let go. Franzese found this fascinating; he thought Bennett did a great job, but having Franco in the role would have been quite cool.
9. Bennett wasn’t Aaron’s initial pick, but the actor claims he landed the role due to a strong resemblance to Tina Fey’s previous Weekend Update co-host, Jimmy Fallon. In an interview with Huffington Post in 2015, he stated, “She confirmed it was one hundred percent accurate.
10. According to Fey’s interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2014, she chose to use real names in her writing because it’s more straightforward. For example, a minor character like Glen Coco was actually named after her brother’s friend.
As a follower, I can empathize with his situation – he’s a film editor based in Los Angeles, and it seems like quite a challenge for him. Remarkably, someone shared an unanticipated piece of advice: you could purchase a shirt at Target that reads “You go, Glen Coco!
Characters in the show also share names with real people. For instance, Lizzy Caplan’s character is called Janis Ian, a name chosen because of the musician who made an early appearance on Saturday Night Live. Similarly, Damian, played by Fey’s friend and current TV Guide writer, Damian Holbrook, was named after him. The character Cady, on the other hand, was named after Tina Fey’s college roommate, Cady Garey.
11. Apart from penning the movie’s exceptional screenplay, Fey also acted in Mean Girls, portraying Ms. Norbury, the math teacher and Mathletes advisor. However, when it came to the mathematical terminology she wrote for her character to use, she was completely clueless about its meaning.
In 2004, when speaking to the New York Times, she shared that her goal was to challenge the belief that girls can’t excel at math. However, she admitted that she didn’t fully comprehend the words she was using. She explained that to create those math-related scenes, she borrowed lesson plans from a calculus teacher who is her friend’s boyfriend, based in the Bronx.
12. The movie Mean Girls is inspired by the parenting book Queen Bees and Wannabees: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, and Other Realities of Adolescence written by Rosalind Wiseman. Since it doesn’t have a fictional storyline to follow, Tina Fey was able to use her own high school experiences as inspiration for the plot while remaining faithful to the themes presented in Wiseman’s book.
The author has largely appreciated Fey’s interpretation of her work, but there’s one issue: she’s never been a fan of trust falls. In 2014, she made this clear to The Atlantic, stating emphatically, “I don’t do trust falls, I’ve never done trust falls, and I never will do trust falls.” When she first saw it, she vividly recalled thinking, “Tina, I don’t do that.
13. Do you recall the moment when Amy Poehler’s character, Mrs. George, was unaware that her pet was biting into her augmented chest area? Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how they managed to create that scene.
McAdams recounted to EW: “They attached a tiny hot dog piece to her bra,” she said. “I thought the dog was going to attack her. It was quite intense. She handled it remarkably well, despite having to deliver lines and maintain professionalism while this dog was nibbling on a fake part of her anatomy. That moment is etched in my memory.
14. Franzese mentioned that an initial draft of the script included a scene for Damian which was eliminated before it could be filmed. He explained to Cosmo that the original ending would have revealed what happened to Damian after his junior year, and had him auditioning for American Idol. Simon Cowell was supposed to call him chubby, then Damian would storm the stage and punch him. The actor added that there were numerous changes to the final scene, such as a part where Ms. Norbury catches Kevin G selling ecstasy, causing her to be accused of drug dealing, with actual drugs found in her desk when she’s searched.
In a conversation about Janis and Damian trying to get Kevin G. to admit responsibility for something that led to his punishment, they managed to persuade him to go to the school board. However, Kevin G. failed to appear. As a result, Damian stepped forward onto the podium and, in an attempt to shield Miss Norbury, fabricated the story that it was he who was responsible.
15a. Back when there was talk about a sequel to the movie we all adore, I, being Fey, surprisingly stood against it, a decision I later came to regret. As I shared with Entertainment Weekly in 2014, “At the time, we did want to discuss the possibility of a sequel, and for some reason, I was saying ‘No!!! We can’t do that!'” Now, looking back, I find myself asking, “Why?” Alas, it seems like the opportunity for a sequel has long since passed.
Back in 2018, she shared with Variety, “Perhaps it’s advantageous, as we can channel all our energy into this instead.
She penned the “Mean Girls” musical alongside her husband and composer from “30 Rock,” Jeff Richmond, which made its debut in 2017 before hitting Broadway in April 2018. That year, it was nominated for a total of 21 awards, including 12 Tony Awards and nine Drama Desk Awards, ultimately winning Tina Fey the prize for Outstanding Book of a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards. This successful production is slated to inspire the “Mean Girls” musical set for release in 2024.
Although no official sequel has been produced, a film titled “Mean Girls 2” was released. This made-for-TV movie, aired on ABC Family (now Freeform) in 2011, was a separate story with little connection to the original except for Tim Meadows reprising his role as the school’s principal. It was not warmly received by critics.
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2024-10-03 13:19