>> THAT’S YOUR "POPSTART." >>> GUESS WHO IS HERE?
TINA FEY.
TINA FEY. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT HAS BEEN
15 YEARS, 15 SINCE GRETCHEN
WIENER TRIED TO MAKE STUFF
HAPPEN IN "MEAN GIRLS."
SHE WROTE THE FILM.
THAT IS NOT ALL WE ARE
CELEBRATING TODAY.
CELEBRATING TODAY. NO.
NO. HER HIT BROADWAY SHOW BASED ON
THE MOVIE "MEAN GIRLS" COMPLETED
THE FRESHMAN YEAR.
WE HAVE NEWS ABOUT THAT, TOO.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING, SAVANNAH.
>> 15 YEARS, WHERE WERE YOU 15
YEARS AGO?
YEARS AGO? I WAS HERE PROMOTING THE MOVIE?
>> I WAS.
>> I WAS. I WAS WORKING ACROSS THE STREET
AT "SNL."
AT "SNL." I WOULD GO TO TORONTO TO SHOOT
THE MOVIE.
THE MOVIE. I WOULD DRIVE OVERNIGHT TO
TORONTO.
TORONTO. >> WHY?
>> WHY? >> DO "SNL," AND GET IN A CAMPER
AND BE DRIVEN.
I DON’T KNOW.
>> JUST ROUGHING IT?
>> JUST ROUGHING IT.
>> HITTING THE TRUCK STOPS
BETWEEN HERE AND THERE?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> THIS IS YOUR FIRST
SCREENPLAY?
SCREENPLAY? >> YEAH, FIRST, AND SO FAR ONLY
SCREENPLAY, WEIRDLY ENOUGH.
YEAH, THIS IS THE FIRST THING.
I WAS A WRITER ON "SNL."
I SAW AN ARTICLE IN "THE NEW
YORK TIMES" ABOUT A WRITER WHO
WROTE A BOOK ABOUT RELATIONAL
AGGRESSION.
AGGRESSION. I WAS LIKE, I WANT TO MAKE A
MOVIE ABOUT THAT, AND THEY LET
ME.
ME. NOW IT’S 15 YEARS LATER.
>> NOT ONLY DID THEY LET YOU.
AS I UNDERSTAND IT THEY NEVER
BROUGHT IN ANOTHER WRITER, WHICH
IS LIKE A VERY HOLLYWOOD THING
TO DO.
TO DO. IT’S NOT AN INSULT.
THEY USUALLY BRING IN OTHER
WRITERS AND POLISH THE SCRIPT.
THEY DIDN’T HAVE ANYONE ELSE
TOUCH IT?
TOUCH IT? >> YEAH, THAT IS RARE ESPECIALLY
AT THIS TIME.
THIS AWESOME WOMAN WHO RAN
PARAMOUNT PICTURES AT THE TIME
NEVER TOOK IT AWAY FROM ME.
I WAS A FIRST-TIME SCREENWRITER.
A LOT OF TIMES, WE ARE GOING TO
GET THESE TWO OLDER GUYS TO FIX
IT.
IT. I THINK THAT’S WHY THE MOVIE
WORKED FOR PEOPLE IS IT KIND OF
HAD ONE WRITER’S VOICE.
IT’S A REAL GOOD THING TO LET
WRITERS DO THEIR THING.
>> I DON’T KNOW HOW TO TELL YOU
THIS, BUT I DID NOT SEE "MEAN
GIRLS" FOR YEARS.
I SAW IT WITHIN THE LAST YEAR OR
TWO AND I LOVED IT AND IT ALSO
MADE ME REALIZE THAT LIKE BEING
A MEAN GIRL APPARENTLY NEVER
GOES OUT OF STYLE.
IT TOTALLY HOLDS UN.
>> THIS IS THE THING.
THIS IS WHAT I THINK IS GOOD
ABOUT THE BROADWAY SHOW IS THAT
THE THING OF RELATIONAL
AGGRESSION, THE WAY PEOPLE SHADE
EACH OTHER, NOT ONLY -- I FEEL
LIKE WOMEN ARE DOING BETTER.
NOW I FEEL LIKE THE BEHAVIOR HAS
KIND OF SPREAD TO EVERYONE.
AND YOU HAVE LIKE -- THE IDEA OF
LIKE, YOU KNOW, CALLING SOMEONE
STUPID WON’T MAKE YOU ANY
SMARTER.
SMARTER. WE NEED TO TELL IT TO LIKE THE
PRESIDENT AND THE SPEAKER OF THE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. THE BEHAVIOR OF ADULTS --
>> YOU ARE SAYING "MEAN GIRLS"
CULTURE HAS EXPANDED?
>> METASTASIZED.
>> METASTASIZED. YES.
YES. EVERYONE SEE THE SHOW, BE
REMINDED OF YOUR CORE VALUES.
>> DO THE ROPE COURSE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> WHEN YOU WERE PROCEED TO DO A
MUSICAL ABOUT THIS, DID YOU
IMMEDIATELY SAY YES OR WERE YOU
THINKING --
THINKING -- >> YEAH, ACTUALLY, I DID
IMMEDIATELY SAY YES.
OTHER PEOPLE HAD COME TO ME,
LIKE CAN WE MAKE THIS MUSICAL?
I AM LIKE, I DON’T OWN IT.
I HAD TO GET PERMISSION TO MAKE
THE MUSICAL.
THE MUSICAL. I FELT LIKE IT HAS SO MUCH
EMOTION UNDERNEATH IT AND IF
YOU -- I DON’T KNOW IF YOU HAD A
CHANCE --
CHANCE -- >> I HAVE SEEN IT.
I WENT WITH MY MOM.
WE LOVED IT.
WE REALLY LOVED IT.
WE LAUGHED SO HARD.
THE MUSIC IS GREAT.
I KNOW YOUR HUSBAND DID IT.
>> MY HUSBAND AND ANOTHER
GENTLEMEN.
GENTLEMEN. IT’S A GOOD FITNESS -- I AM TOLD
IT’S GREAT FOR RUNNING, THE
SOUNDTRACK.
SOUNDTRACK. IF I RAN, I WOULD.
BUT, YEAH.
BUT, YEAH. SO YOU GET TO KIND OF DIG DEEPER
EMOTIONALLY AND STUFF.
ALSO A FRESH BATCH OF JOKES
BECAUSE, OF COURSE, I COULDN’T
LIKE --
LIKE -- >> YEAH, YOU HAD TO UPDATE IT A
LITTLE BIT.
LITTLE BIT. >> YEAH WE.
>> WE DIDN’T HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA
THAT MEAN YEARS AGO.
>> YEAH, IN THE MOVIE IT’S
THREE-WAY CALLING WHICH I WOULD
HAVE HAD TO EXPLAIN TO MY KIDS
WHAT THAT WAS TO MAKE JOKES
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. >> DID SOCIAL MEDIA REPLACE THE
THREE-WAY CALLING?
THREE-WAY CALLING? >> YEAH, AND MADE EVERYTHING
WORSE.
WORSE. EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE.
>> NOW BACK TO YOU.
HOW ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTERS?
BECAUSE THEY ARE ACTUALLY --
THEY ARE GETTING -- NOT THAT
THEY WILL BE MEAN GIRLS, BUT
THEY ARE GETTING INTO THE MEAN
GIRLS AGE?
GIRLS AGE? >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. AND
AND BECAUSE MY YOUNGER DAUGHTER WHO
IS 7 HAS SEEN THE SHOW A BUNCH
OF TIME AND IS LIKE, LET’S PLAY,
LIKE OH, YOU ARE SKIMMING OFF
THE TOP.
THE TOP. SHE IS LIKE I’LL PLAY REGINA
GEORGE.
GEORGE. I AM LIKE, WE ARE MISSING A
LARIAT 7, BUT IT’S FINE.
>> PLACATETY?
>> PLACATETY? >> DO YOU WANT TO PLAY KATY.
>> SHE GOES TO THE DARK SIDE.
>> WE ALL DO SOMETIMES.
>> IT IS TRUE BECAUSE I WAS
THINKING ABOUT IT.
IT’S LIKE IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN A
VICTIM OF A MEAN GIRL, THAT
MIGHT MEAN THAT YOU WERE THE
MEAN GIRL.
MEAN GIRL. >> FOR SURE.
A LOT OF TIMES THAT’S A LOT OF
WHAT THE STORY IS ABOUT IS SORT
OF RECOGNIZING IN YOURSELF.
IN THE MOMENT YOU ARE LIKE THAT
PERSON HAS WHAT I WANT AND IT’S
NOT FAIR.
NOT FAIR. YOU HAVE TO ASSESS YOUR OWN
GUILT IN THE SITUATION.
>> WHAT IS IT ABOUT THAT TIME
PERIOD DO YOU THINK, THAT MIDDLE
SCHOOL --
SCHOOL -- >> IT’S HORMONES.
I THINK IT’S HORMONES AND WE ARE
ALL OUT OF OUR MINDS.
>> THAT’S WHAT’S SO FUNNY ABOUT
THE MOVIE IS THE WAY KATY WAS AN
EXCHANGE STUDENT, SHE CAME BACK
AND IT IS SORT OF ANIMAL AND
PRIMITIVE THE WAY THE PACKS OF
GIRLS WERE ATTACKING EACH OTHER?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. AND IT’S ABOUT JOCKEYING FOR
STATUS IN THE PACK AND ALL THAT
STUFF.
STUFF. >> DID YOU EVER THINK IT WOULD
CATCH ON THE WAY IT DID?
>> NO.
>> NO. I WAS SO EXCITED IT WAS GOING TO
GET MADE AND IT WAS GOING TO BE
IN THE MOVIE THEATER.
THEN IT KIND OF LIKE PAID FOR
ITSELF, THE FIRST WEEKEND,
WHICH, YOU KNOW, IN THE BABY WAY
I THINK IT MADE LIKE
$24 MILLION, WHICH IS LIKE
AVENGERS SELLS POPCORN AT ONE
SHOWING.
SHOWING. BUS IT WAS A HUGE TRIUMPH.
IT WAS LIKE ALL FEMALE LEADS.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS A GREAT
SURPRISE.
SURPRISE. >> DO YOU THINK IT’S THE BEST
THING YOU EVER WROTE?
>> I MEAN, IT’S VERY, VERY, VERY
SPECIAL TO ME.
BECAUSE I WROTE IT BY MYSELF,
IT’S LIKE --
>> IT’S YOUR BABY.
>> MY SPECIAL BABY.
>> YOUR BABY IS 15.
>> AND SHE ON BROADWAY.
>> SHE IS.
>> COME SEE HER.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. IT’S GOING ON TOUR.
>> YEAH, IT GOES OUT THIS FALL.
SUPER EXCITING.
SUPER EXCITING. >> AND MORE NEWS ABOUT THAT
WHICH WE ARE GOING TO HOLD.
YOU ARE COMING BACK AT 9:00?