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It goes without saying that Mean Girls is probably the best teen comedy of this generation. Written by the hilarious Tina Fey and additionally starring her friend Amy Poehler, the film portrays an exaggerated account of a former homeschooler, Cady Heron, who receives a crash course education of high school clichés.
Despite making its silver screen debut in 2004, the laugh-inducing film has still managed to stay relevant as a pop culture favorite. With the infamous lines of “You go Glenn Coco” and “You can’t sit with us”, Lindsay Lohan and “The Plastics” squad still is capable of winning the hearts of all audiences. In fact, October 3rd is crowned an unofficial national holiday for the movie. Which can only be credited to the super attractive, yet slightly ditsy, Aaron Samuels. The one-liners and over–the-top dramatic antics, makes this film worthy of all its attention.
While the film is still able to entertain viewers of all ages and genders, there are still facts that many super fans would be shocked to learn about the beloved teen comedy. In the twelve years that the movie has been around, the love for the film never seems to dim. From Halloween costumes, merchandise, infamous quotes, and references, there is still much that is unknown about the popular film.
So, for all you fans out there, put on some pink clothing (whether it’s Wednesday or not) and prepare to document in the Burn Book the 15 facts that you didn’t know about Mean Girls. They're almost as entertaining as the movie itself.
15. Tim Meadows' Broken Hand Was Written Into The Script
While the script was completed prior to filming, some alterations were made as filming was underway. One change that was called for during filming was Tim Meadows’ broken hand. Before arriving on set, the actor broke his right hand. Seeing as his character, Mr. Duvall, had no such injury, Tina Fey rewrote his character to have carpel tunnel syndrome. It was the perfect explanation as to why his hand was bandaged. In the film, Mr. Duvall referenced his injury by stating that his carpel tunnel had come back during the summer in a failed attempt at flirting or to try and get some sympathy from Fey’s newly single character, Ms. Norbury. Despite the North Shore High School principal having such an injury, he never hesitated to use his hand. During the scene when multiple photocopied pages from the Burn Book made their way around school and the hallways erupted in extreme chaos, Mr. Duvall picked up a wooden baseball bat and proceeded to break the glass casing of the fire alarm. Apparently, his injury wasn’t enough to stop him from trying to tame the cat fights that were breaking out on campus.
14. Lindsay Lohan Auditioned For Regina
Before earning her notorious title for being one of Hollywood’s most failed child stars, Lindsay Lohan was actually an actress that was in high demand. Prior to her Mean Girls days, Lohan had the lead role in several teen dramas and comedies that achieved moderate success. Believe it or not, she was also seen as one of Hollywood’s ‘sweethearts’. Which is exactly why she didn’t receive the role as the queen bee, Regina George, even though she initially auditioned for that role. In order to preserve Lohan’s image as one of the industry’s favorites, she was given the innocent homeschooled role instead. The film’s director, who also filmed Freaky Friday with Lohan, felt that her reputation as playing the lead heroine should continue. While Lohan’s character, Cady, had her fair share of Regina-like moments towards the end of the film, she ended up pulling through and illustrated her friendly personality. Which is exactly what the studio wanted. Little did they know that Lohan would prove years later that she was far from her sweet and innocent character, Cady.
13. Amy Poehler Hid A Sausage In Her Bra
Mean Girls encompasses a vast array of characters and personalities. But when it comes to Regina George’s mother, played by Amy Poehler, this one takes the cake. It’s no secret that Mrs. George wants to be exactly like her extremely popular daughter. From the way she dresses, talks, and dances in the aisle during the Winter Talent Show, the mother is doing all that she can to preserve a youthful image. Including going under the knife for breast enhancements. While hanging out in Regina’s room with “The Plastics” and Cady, the family dog proceeds to use Mrs. George’s new enhancements as a chew toy. Oblivious to the current situation, Regina is quick to tell her mom to leave. In order to make sure that the dog stays connected to Poehler’s chest during the scene, the actress hid a small piece of sausage in her bra.
12. Ashley Tisdale Auditioned For Karen Smith
It’s difficult to imagine anyone else but Amanda Seyfried portraying Karen Smith, the third member of the pink-clad “Plastics”. But for a moment, the part almost went to the bottle blonde actress, Ashley Tisdale. That’s right, before her High School Musical days, the former Disney Channel starlet was in the running to play the sweet and intellectually slow popular student. Despite being in the clique with Regina and Gretchen, Karen is most definitely identified as the kinder character out of the trio. She is never openly seen belittling her fellow peers and her childlike innocence shines through when she says things like, “Gretchen, I’m sorry I laughed at you that time you got diarrhea at Barnes & Noble.” Thankfully, in the end, the role ultimately went to Seyfriend. It seems everything happens for a reason. Shortly after, Tisdale was given the opportunity to wear pink every day, including Wednesdays, when she landed the role of Sharpay Evans in Disney’s hit franchise High School Musical.
11. Tina Fey And Amy Poehler Gave Rap Lessons On Set
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler clearly have a friendship that many desire to have. Their collaboration on films, skits, and hosting responsibilities prove that they are the ultimate Hollywood duo. Their time together on the Mean Girls movie is no exception. They not only had roles in the picture, but they also mentored many of the actors while on set. During North Shore’s Winter Talent Show, mathlete and aspiring rapper Kevin Gnappoor, gave his best rap performance under the name, Kevin G.; which apparently is silent when he walks through your door. While it’s obvious that Kevin is no Kanye West, he did give quite the entertaining performance. Which can be credited to both Fey and Poehler. According to the cast, the female comedians gave Rajiv Surendra rapping lessons prior to filming his scene. Surendra’s character may have managed to expressed extreme confidence in himself, but the actor had doubts about his rapping abilities. The funny ladies must have given the actor a first-class lesson of spiting rhymes because Kevin G. gave a memorable performance.
10. The Movie Was Originally Titled "Homeschooled"
The title of Mean Girls is unarguably iconic. However, while the screenplay was still being developed, the project was initially called “Homeschooled”. While that particular title would explain Cady’s background as an only child who was homeschooled while living in Africa with her parents, it still failed to convey the film’s overall message. If the movie had stuck with its original title, it would have had audiences thinking it was a documentary covering a student’s educational journey at home. However, with a name like Mean Girls, viewers know exactly what they are in for with cat-fights and petty drama. Which is basically what the film contains. The war that began to grow between “The Plastics” and their new recruit Cady, gave justice to the revised title of the movie. An accomplishment that the prior working title wouldn’t have been able to do.
9. Jonathan Bennett Was Cast Because He Resembled Jimmy Fallon
It’s no secret that Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon have a great deal of respect for one another. The two comedians, have a long history together and have come a long way since their days on Saturday Night Live. Not only did Fey write the screenplay for Mean Girls, she also had a large impact on who was cast for the characters she created. While she focused on casting the female roles with actresses who could especially fit the mould of “The Plastics”, she ended up casting the film's leading crush for an entirely different reason. Jonathan Bennett clearly had the looks and talent to play the swoon-worthy Aaron Samuels, but it was his looks that had Fey choosing him. It turns out that Fey believed that he resembled her good pal Fallon and she was intrigued by that similarity.
8. Glen Coco Is An Actual Person
There is never a shortage of reusable quotes from Mean Girls. In fact, now, just over a decade since its debut, the infamous lines from the film still remain as pop culture favorites. However, one of the most popular and go-to lines from the movie is, “You go Glen Coco!” As one of the most iconic scenes in the comedy, Damian enters one of North Shore’s classrooms dressed as Santa Clause to deliver candy grams. Hoping to bring down Regina and her clique, one member at a time, Damian gives one candy cane to Cady and four to a random student named Glen Coco. Despite not having a speaking line throughout the entire film, Glen Coco is a fan favorite. What they may not know is, the character is played by an actor who snuck onto the set just hoping to score some free lunch. The actor, David Reale, initially auditioned for a part in the teen comedy, but was sadly unable to secure a role. However, that didn’t stop him from hanging around set and seeing as he had no extra money as a struggling young actor, Reale blended into the background with the film’s extras. All his time on set paid off when the director randomly chose him to sit in on the scene that would become so widely popular. While he never received payment and was not credited in the film, Reale still continues to receive messages every day from fans on his Twitter account.
7. James Franco Was Considered For Aaron Samuels
The character of Aaron Samuels is best known for being the ultimate heartthrob in Mean Girls. But did you know that before the role was given to Jonathan Bennett, James Franco was seriously considered for the character? While Bennett gave an excellent performance, it’s hard to miss the fact that Franco would have been fantastic in that role as well. With both his looks and acting chops, it would be obvious enough to see why Cady was fighting for his attention, despite him dating Regina and the fact that he was actually quite terrible at math.
6. Regina George And Her Mother Are Only Seven Years Apart
Throughout the movie, it's blatantly clear that Mrs. George desires to be as popular as her daughter, Regina. While there is large age gap between the mother and daughter in the film, there is actually less than a decade separating the two actresses. Amy Poehler happens to be only eight years older than her on screen daughter, Rachel McAdams. Interestingly, there is a large gap between Lindsay Lohan and the ringleader of “The Plastics”. While both actresses play high school students, in reality, the queen bee actress is actually seven years older than Lohan. At the time of filming, Lohan was seventeen, while McAdams was well in her twenties. While McAdams spent months effortlessly portraying herself as a teen diva, following the filming of Mean Girls, the Canadian actress went on to film the beloved Nicholas Sparks book-to-film adaptation, The Notebook.
5. Janis Ian Was Named After A Singer
Upon entering North Shore High School, Cady Heron managed to make fast friends with Janis Ian and Damian. The two friends were clearly social outcasts of the school, but were clearly nice enough to show Lindsay Lohan’s former homeschooled character the ropes of public school. As an ode to the first female musical guest on Saturday Night Live, the punk Janis Ian character was given the identity of the singer with the same name. Seeing as Tina Fey appeared for several years on the comedy skit show, she wanted to tie in the roots of her career when writing the screenplay. While Mean Girls' Janis Ian was accused by “The Plastics” ringleader, Regina George, for being a lesbian after an incident at a pool party, the singer has actually been married to her female partner since 2003. However, one similarity that both share is their passion for the arts. While the real Janis Ian is an accomplished singer, her inspired character is a talented artist.
4. The Film Is Based On A Parenting Book
Before Mean Girls developed a cult following, the film was essentially a non-fiction book. While the movie was written by comedy’s leading lady, Tina Fey, she drew inspiration from the parenting book, Queen Bees and Wannabes. Written by author Rosalind Wiseman, her self-help book reflected on female social cliques in high school and the negative effects they can potentially have on girls. Using the book as a source of inspiration, Fey set out to create a film that highlighted those issues, while remaining true to her humor. While the movie does show an exaggerated, almost satirical, account of the presence of cliques and the overall high school experience for girls, it is also very true in regards of how it affects all of those who are involved. The bullying, the out-casting, and the downright rude manner that is illustrated in Mean Girls are all real issues that occur in our society. Relying on Wiseman’s book, Fey was able to capture the essence of cliques and portray the inevitable outcome on the screen for all to see. While the film contains the typical Hollywood ‘happily ever after’ ending, that isn’t always the case for real-life incidents.
3. Regina George's Luscious Blonde Hair Was Fake
As one of the most popular girls in school, Regina George had it all. A convertible, endless amounts of money, the master bedroom of her home, the envied body, and fake hair. Yes, you read that correctly, Regina’s hair was indeed fake. According to the movie’s commentary bonus feature, it was revealed that Rachel McAdams' long, luscious blonde hair was actually a wig. Apparently at the time of filming, McAdams was sporting a short hairstyle that was far from Regina’s image. Wanting to portray Regina with a Barbie-like image to further represent “The Plastics” identity, it was decided that McAdams would wear a wig to illustrate an additional aspect to Regina’s stereotypical looks. Interestingly enough, McAdams originally auditioned for Lindsay Lohan’s role as Cady before landing the leading lady of the popular clique. Which makes you wonder that if she did play Cady instead, would she still have had to wear a wig?
2. The Christmas Talent Show Skirts Were Made Of Plastic
North Shore High School’s annual Winter Talent Show is just slightly less popular than “The Plastics”. The show gives all students the opportunity to be the center of attention rather than just Regina and her clique. From Kevin G’s “Mathlete Rap” and Damien’s rendition of Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful”, the talent show was full of entertaining acts. However, it was “The Plastics” and their “Jingle Bell Rock” dance that turned out to be the show-stopping performance. Dressed in Santa Clause inspired outfits, the girls danced slightly inappropriately to the Christmas classic. One interesting component of their outfits was the fact that their red skirts were entirely made of plastic. The material was a fitting choice for their wardrobe, seeing as they represented what it entails to be fake with their fellow classmates. The plastic skirts further illustrated that the clique was as fake on the outside, as they were on the inside.
1. Regina George Earned The Right To Her Name
Regina George has been the leading lady of “The Plastics” since making friends with her puppets Gretchen Weiners and Karen Smith. With her fake personality and ability to talk trash about her fellow peers at North Shore High School, Regina clearly rules the campus. Which makes sense considering her name in Latin literally means “queen”. While it’s unknown if the name was intentional or just a coincidence, it surely illustrates that Regina has earned the right to her name. The blonde leader of the infamous clique is the queen of drama and manipulation. She even managed to convince her parents to trade bedrooms with her so that she would have the master bedroom as her own. The queen of “The Plastics” also briefly made herself out to be the victim of her former friends when she turned the Burn Book in to Mr. Duvall to show all the nasty things they’ve written about her and students at the school. If that isn’t the dirty work of a queen, then I don’t know what is.
Sources: dazeddigital.com, seventeen.com, imdb.com