In 2004 Mean Girls hit the cinemas and a new teen classic emerged. Tina Fey’s sharp witty
comedy about female cliques and competition in high school resonated and word of mouth
spread making Mean Girls a bigger hit than anyone had expected.
The film became a slow burn cultural phenomenon and over a decade later quotable quotes are
remembered and there is even a Mean Girls celebration day on October 3rd.
On October 3rd he asked me what day it was.
It's October 3rd.
Saturday Night Live writer Tina Fey conceived the idea of the film after reading Rosalind
Wiseman’s book Queen Bees and Wannabes.
Wiseman’s book is non fiction work and because of this Fey had to develop a screenplay from
scratch using both the book and her own high school experiences as inspiration.
The intention for the film was to make it your smarter than average high school comedy
so in addition to the script, elements were brought in to elevate the film such as the
use of an orchestral score and the crafting of several slickly produced multi split screen
phone conversations.
The story revolves around new girl Cady Heron who has joined NorthShore High school, her
first public school in the US, having moved there from Africa. Cady is thrown in at the
deep end as she has to learn how to navigate the cliques and social rules of high school.
Cady catches the attention of free spirited best friends Janis and Damien and she also
attracts the notice of the popular girls; Regina George, Gretchen Wieners and Karen Smith.
This trio are dubbed the Plastics and are legendary in their high school with Regina George
being the undisputed Queen Bee of North Shore High who decides to take Cady under her wing.
At the same time Cady begins to fall for the cute guy in her Math class only to learn he’s
Regina George’s ex and Regina George doesn’t like to share.
Today we’re going to look back at the making of Mean Girls and find out what happened to
the principle cast.
Lindsay Lohan was already an established actress by the time she came to play Cady. She had
been acting and modeling from the age of three and her roles in the hit films Parent Trap
and Freaky Friday meant that her star was on the rise.
Initially Lohan was in line to play Cady’s nemesis Regina but after thinking about her
young fan base she opted to play Cady as it was closer to her girl next door image.
The success of Mean Girls catapulted Lohan’s fame into the stratosphere and she became
one of the it girls of the mid 2000s. Media attention focussed on her style, her relationships
and her hard partying lifestyle.
In addition to her acting work Lohan also released two studio albums, five singles,
and six music videos.
Post Mean Girls Lohan’s personal and professional life became more and more unsettled. Although
still praised for her acting, films such as Herbie: Fully Loaded and Just My Luck were
mauled by critics. Lohan’s foray into independent films such as A Prairie Home Companion and
Chapter 27 never really paid off either as the films didn’t garner much notice and tabloid attention
remained firmly focussed on the actresses personal life.
In 2007 a studio executive’s letter to Lohan reprimanding her for lateness and absences
on the set of the movie Georgia Rule was made public. In it he states “we are well aware
that your ongoing all night heavy partying is the real reason for your so-called 'exhaustion'."
That same year Lohan was replaced in the film Edge of Love by Sienna Miller and the film’s
director revealed in an interview that insuring Lohan had proved difficult.
Lohan’s downward spiral continued as alcohol and drug addiction continued to take their toll.
She was arrested several times on charges ranging from driving under the influence,
to drug possession to theft. Several probation violations and ongoing issues with the authorities
would mean that Lohan would be under probation for a total of 8 years.
With the ongoing negative publicity surrounding the actress finding credible acting work proved
more and more difficult and Lohan’s once flourishing career faltered.
Over the years Lindsay Lohan has had a number of high profile flings and relationships
but the one that garnered the most attention was her relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson.
The pair dated on and off for a couple of years before breaking things off for good
in 2010. In an interview with Piers Morgan Lohan spoke openly about her relationship
with Ronson but said she ultimately identified herself as being straight.
In 2014 Lohan was offered a docu series by Oprah Winfrey to air on Winfrey’s cable
network. The show garnered disappointing ratings and Lohan continued to appear troubled.
Lindsay Lohan was once the toast of Hollywood but is now often mentioned as a cautionary tale for child actors.
We now turn our attention to Regina George aka Rachel McAdams who enjoyed a much happier
post Mean Girls career.
McAdams appeared in a number of film and television productions in her native Canada but it was
her casting in the film The Hot Chick that would mark her transition into Hollywood.
Although the film was almost universally panned she and her co star Anna Faris were singled
out for praise.
McAdams was 25 years old by the time she came to play Regina George. The popularity of Mean
Girls made McAdams a known name and her position was cemented later that year upon the release
of the immensely popular romantic film The Notebook, based on Nicholas Sparks's novel
of the same name.
What followed were a string of roles in fairly successful films such as Wedding Crashers,
Red Eye and The Family Stone.
In 2006 McAdams was invited by Vanity Fair to grace the cover of their annual Hollywood
issue alongside Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley and fashion designer Tom Ford. McAdams
only learned that the actresses were to be photographed nude when she turned up at the
shoot and as a consequence she declined to take part.
Shortly afterward McAdams parted ways from her publicist and between 2006 to 2007 she
took a career break in order to refocus and determine what she wanted from her career.
During that period she refused roles in films such as The Devil Wears Prada, Casino Royale
and Mission: Impossible III.
In 2009 she came back into the spotlight starring in films such as State of Play, The Time Traveler's
Wife and Sherlock Holmes. McAdams continues her winning streak and in 2015 starred in
the 2nd season of the hit HBO tv series True Detective.
Rachel McAdams is an established and well respected actress
who has proved her longevity and is a hit with critics.
Relationship wise In 2005 McAdams began dating her The Notebook co star Ryan Gosling, two
years after filming had wrapped on the movie. On set the pair had a fractious relationship
with Gosling even asking the director to bring somebody else in for his off-camera shots.
Later the pair patched things up and dated for a couple of years before breaking up in
2007. They reunited in 2008 only to part ways permanently that same year.
McAdams then briefly dated American actor Josh Lucas in 2009 and then later went onto
date her Midnight in Paris co-star Michael Sheen from mid-2010 to late 2012.
So, that’s what happened to Rachel McAdams but whatever happened to Regina George's minions
Karen Smith and Gretchen Wieners?
Karen Smith was played by Amanda Seyfried who was interestingly considered for both
the roles of Cady and Regina before being cast as Karen.
Seyfried originally auditioned for the role of Regina but at the time Lohan was in line
to play that role so film makers considered Seyfried for Cady. When Lohan opted to play
Cady instead, Seyfried was then considered to play Regina.
However when Lohan and Seyfried were tested opposite each other as new girl and Queen
Bee respectively the film makers judged that the chemistry was off and it was then that
McAdams was finalised as Regina George.
The producers then decided to cast Seyfried as Karen Smith, feeling that the role would
suit Seyfried’s comic sensibility.
Post Mean Girls Seyfried carved out a career in television, appearing in shows such as
Veronica Mars, House M.D and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Her profile was raised significantly by her work in the HBO series Big Love which centered
on a fundamentalist Mormon family that practices polygamy. Seyfried portrayed the eldest child
who struggles to accept her father’s polygamy and she became a popular character with audiences.
Seyfried left the show after the fourth season to concentrate on her film career and roles
in successful films such as Jennifer’s Body and Dear John followed. She was also able
to showcase her musical talents in the hit musical films Mama Mia and the hugely successful
Les Miserables.
# A heart full of love #
In her personal life Seyfried has dated a number of actors including Emile Hirsch, Dominic
Cooper and Ryan Phillipe. Since 2013 the actress has been a relationship with Justin Long after
the pair connected at a film premiere.
And, now for the final Plastic, Gretchen Weiners who disappointingly
never managed to make "Fetch" happen.
You love him! And he totally complimented you!
That is sooo fetch!
Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen! It's not going to happen!
Gretchen was played by Lacey Chabert who was one of the last cast members to be finalized.
Chabert first came to attention as a child actress in the popular teen drama Party of
Five which revolved around five siblings who had lost their parents in a car crash.
In Mean Girls Chabert impressed as the put upon member of the Plastics who equates Regina
George to Caesar in a memorable speech.
Why should Caesar get to stomp around like a giant,
while the rest of us try not to get smushed under his big feet?
What's so great about Caesar? Hm?
Brutus is just as cute as Caesar. Brutus is just as smart as Caesar.
People totally like Brutus just as much as they like Caesar.
And when did it become okay for one person to be the boss of everybody, huh?
Because that's not what Rome is about. We should totally just stab Caesar!
Gretchen Wieners had cracked.
Post Mean Girls Chabert continues to act steadily in film and television but mostly in supporting
roles and she hasn’t been able to replicate the same success as Rachel McAdams and Amanda
Seyfried.
In 2013 Chabert married her longtime boyfriend, David Nehdar.
Alongside the plastics Cady established friendships with Janis Ian and Damian.
Janis was played by Lizzie Caplan who was considered too pretty for the role but her
ability as an actress set aside any misgivings. The name Janis Ian is a nod to the real life
musician and writer Janis Ian.
Caplan began her career at the age of 17, playing supporting roles in television before
landing the role in Mean Girls.
After the film she continued to act and made notable appearances in tv shows and films
including True Blood, New Girl and Cloverfield.
In 2013 Caplan rose to prominence with her lead role in the hit Showtime series Masters
of sex where she portrays pioneering sexologist Virginia Johnson. The show is based on a biography
written about the late Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson who were both researchers
of human sexuality at Washington University.
Caplan is private about her personal life although it emerged that she was involved
in a 6 year relationship with friends actor Matthew Perry between 2006 to 2012.
Finding the other half of the Janis and Damien duo proved difficult. Tina Fey had a very
specific idea of the type of person she had written and the film makers auditioned a number
of actors before finding Daniel Franzese who they say charmed them in the waiting room
before the audition even took place.
After Mean Girls Franzese has appeared sporadically in minor roles across film and television.
Since 2007 he has curated several art shows.
In his personal life Franzese made the decision to publicly come out as gay in 2014.
Along with her friends Cady connected with - Aaron Samuels, the guy who looks sexy with
his hair pushed back.
Aaron was portrayed by Jonathan Bennett who Tina Fey said reminded her of a young Jinmmy
Fallon.
Post Mean Girls Bennett continued to act, model and present although the quality of
his projects is debateable. He also took part in the 19th season of Dancing With the Stars
in honour of his late parents who loved the show.
Aaron and Damien weren’t the only men in Cady’s life, her math abilities meant encountering
the Mathlete and badass mc Kevin G played by Rajiv Surendra.
Surendra initially auditioned for the too gay to function Damien and Kevin G was originally
envisioned to be of Chinese descent however after his reading the film makers decided
to alter the part to fit Surendra.
Following the success of Mean Girls it was suggested that Surendra should aim to land
the lead character in the film adaptation of the multiple award winning novel
Life of Pi.
Recognizing the film as the opportunity of a lifetime and identifying strongly with the
protagonist Surendra spent several years preparing for the role, even traveling to India and
turning down all other acting work.
Unfortunately the Life of Pi struggled of get off the ground and it took 7 years for
the Oscar winning film to be made and in the end the role eventually went to someone else.
Surendra has talked and written about the lessons learned from that experience and he
currently makes a living as an artist, calligrapher and craftsman.
And finally we turn our attention to Ms. Norbury or rather Tina Fey,
the woman who made it all happen.
Fey began her career back in 1997 with the comedy group The Second City. There she caught
the attention of the head writer of Saturday Night Live and as a consequence Fey herself was hired
as a writer for the variety sketch comedy show which is something of an institution
in the US.
Fey rose up the ranks to become head writer herself in 1999. Fey stayed with SNL until 2006 when
she left to focus her attention on her hit sitcom 30 Rock. The critically acclaimed and
Emmy award winning show ran for 7 seasons and is inspired by Fey’s experiences of
working at SNL. The show revolves around the protagonist Liz Lemon who too is the head
writer for a comedy sketch show.
From 2013 Tina Fey and Amy Poehler presented the Golden Globes three years in a row to
acclaim. Together they generated the highest ratings for the annual ceremony in a decade.
In 2015 Fey developed the comedy show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt starring Ellie Kemper as the
title character who has recently been rescued from a doomsday cult where she had been held
for 15 years.
In 1994 Fey met and began dating musician Jeff Richmond and the pair married in 2001.
The couple have collaborated on several projects including 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Together they have two daughters.
And that concludes our round up of what happened to the principle cast of Mean Girls.
As always we hope you enjoyed this video and feel free to check out our other Where are
they now videos.
Make sure to subscribe for more videos like this. Thanks for stopping by and supporting
our channel and we’ll see you next time.