With an all-star cast that included Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Lizzy Caplan, and Amy Poehler, Mean Girls has enthralled viewers since its 2004 premiere. The film’s creators made hints about where they found inspiration for this gripping adolescent drama.
Inspiration from Queen Bees and Wannabes
“The first script I read was very R-rated, it had sexual commentary as well as a lot of profanity; a lot of f-bombs and salacious talk. It was very clear we weren’t going to release an R-rated movie, it needed to be PG13. That was the studio’s decision but we didn’t fight it, it was understandable. We stripped all that stuff out before we started shooting. We were making a movie set in a high school which would be primarily marketed to girls aged 12 to 25. A girl in high school should be able to go and see a movie about girls in high school,” said director as quoted by Cosmopolitan.
Marci Liroff, the casting director mentioned, “There was a certain type of desperation for Gretchen, that you really felt for her. The original book was Queen Bees and Wannabes and she so wanted to be a mean girl and be part of the crowd yet kept getting put down. Finally, Lacey [Chabert] came in and just got it on the very first take.”
Tina Fey, the screenwriter, gave a glance of her teenage years
The script’s creative director, Tina Fey, recently spoke candidly to a community group, providing insights into the life experiences that inspired “Mean Girls.”
Frey in a conversation with Parade said, “Some of the material in Mean Girls was about this period in my life when I felt like I was an outsider. The stuff that was pent up in me as a teenage girl is all in the show.” Frey added, “You need to be fearless, not be afraid to be yourself, and also the core of the story is to not lift yourself up by tearing someone else down.”
The secrets surrounding Mean Girls’ production deepen its appeal as it captivates audiences in both its theatrical and movie incarnations. Directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., the captivating tale of Mean Girls is set to return to the big screen with a musical adaptation that opens on January 12, 2024.
