Mean Girls may be one of the most popular films of the 00s, but there are still plenty of little-known facts about the teen classic.
Written by the iconic Tina Fey, Mean Girls has remained just as quotable as when it premiered back in 2004.
While we may have seen it more times than we can count, there are still a few details about the making of the film that surprised us.
Without further ado, here are 10 of the most ‘fetch’ facts you never knew about Mean Girls:
Check out the ‘October 3rd’ scene from Mean Girls:
Mean Girls was based on a non-fiction book
While many fans would be surprised to learn that Mean Girls was based on a book, it’s safe to say Fey took her fair share of creative liberties with the source material. Yep, the film was inspired by Queen Bees & Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends & Other Realities of Adolescence, a self-help guide by Rosalind Wiseman. Although Fey based some of The Plastics’ behaviour on scenarios from the book, the similarities end there.
Lindsay Lohan auditioned for the role of Regina George
Although it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role bar Rachel McAdams, Lindsay Lohan originally auditioned for the part of Regina George. As it turns out, Lohan decided to play the main character of Cady Heron instead due to fears that portraying a villain could harm her career. On top of that, director Mark Waters revealed that film executives didn’t believe audiences would accept Lohan in the role, given that her last film was the family-friendly Freaky Friday.
James Franco was considered for the role of Aaron Samuels
Speaking of sliding doors casting moments, Hollywood A-lister James Franco was originally considered for the role of Cady’s love interest Aaron Samuels. Franco’s casting would have no doubt caused a stir, given that he was a much more well-known actor than Jonathan Bennett at the time. However, Fey has since revealed that she ended up casting Bennett because he reminded her of her friend Jimmy Fallon.
Amy Poehler was only seven years older than her onscreen daughter Rachel McAdams
While there’s no doubt Amy Poehler nailed the role of “cool mom”, it turns out that she was only seven years older than her onscreen daughter McAdams. Despite the fact Poehler was 32 to McAdams’ 26 at the time of filming, some clever makeup and costumes helped her look far older than her years.
There was a real person called Janis Ian
Yep, Tina Fey named the character Janis Ian after the singer-songwriter who achieved fame in the 1970s. Ian was the very first musical guest on Saturday Night Live and won a Grammy for her song ‘At Seventeen’, which plays during the “half a virgin” scene of the film.
Check out the scene from Mean Girls featuring ‘At Seventeen’ by Janis Ian:
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler taught Kevin G how to rap
Rajiv Surendra may have nailed Kevin G’s rap at the school talent show, but it turns out he had some unlikely coaches on set. Fey revealed in the film’s commentary that she and Poehler taught him how to rap so he wouldn’t be a “sucka MC”. Waters further revealed to Vulture that Poehler “coached him on how to do the rap” and “gave him some of the moves and choreography for it.”
The “ugliest effing skirt” scene was inspired by Tina Fey’s mum
One of the most surprising facts about Mean Girls is that Fey’s mother inspired the “ugliest effing skirt” moment. Fey told Black Film that her mum would regularly compliment people whose clothes she thought were ugly, just as Regina does in the movie. “Clearly she wanted someone to notice that shirt. She picked it out. It has a huge teddy bear on it,” Fey recalled her mum saying.
Playing Damian helped actor Daniel Franzese embrace his own sexuality
Undoubtedly the most wholesome fact on this list, Daniel Franzese has revealed that playing the openly gay character Damian helped him accept his sexuality. In an interview with People, Franzese said that Damian gave queer people an “identity in pop culture where they weren’t made fun of.”
“He’s never made fun of for being big or for being gay… I think part of the reason it took me so long to feel comfortable with who I was, was I didn’t have the same referential point,” he said.
The film was originally given an R-rating by the MPAA
Although Mean Girls was a hit among young teens, they almost weren’t able to see the film when it was first released. As it turns out, the filmmakers were forced to remove several jokes after the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) gave it an R rating. For example, the quote in the Burn Book about Amber D’Alessio and the hot dog was originally about something much more, ah, graphic than just making out.
For more on this topic, follow the Film & TV Observer.
