Lindsay Lohan admits that she wanted to play the villain role of Regina George in 2004’s Mean Girls. Lohan starred as Cady Heron in the film, a new high school student who just moved from Africa to the United States and gets adopted into the popular (mean) girls clique, which causes her to question everything she’s ever known. The film also stars Rachel McAdams as Regina George, the leader of “The Plastics,” flanked by her cohorts Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Wieners and Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith.
Directed by Mark Waters (Freaky Friday) and written by (and co-starring) Tina Fey, Mean Girls was a major hit for all involved and has since become a renowned classic of the high-school comedy genre. The film has gone on to inspire all manner of spinoff material, from comic books to video games to stage plays. A made-for-TV sequel was released in 2011, titled simply Mean Girls 2, but featured an all-new cast that had no relation to the characters in the original.
In a new video from Vogue, Lohan reiterates that that she had always wanted to play Regina George, rather than Cady Heron. Lohan has said as much in the past, but gives a deeper explanation for it in the video, saying, “The story behind me playing Cady in Mean Girls is actually really unknown by a lot of people.“ The actress, who was just coming off of Freaky Friday with Waters, said that she wanted to play a “normal girl” that wasn’t quite the “damaged teenager” she’d gotten used to playing. Here’s her full explanation:
I wanted to play Regina, because I’d just come off of ‘Freaky Friday’, and I wanted to play a pretty normal girl now. I wanted to have a different kind of role than just the damaged teenager again,” said Lohan. “And Mark Waters, the director, was insistent that I play Cady, and so was Tina [Fey]. They’re like ‘no, no, no, you’re the lovable one, you have to play Cady.’ I was so eager to get into the transitional part of ‘okay, let’s get to the pretty part of Cady.’ It’s just such a lovable movie.
Lohan also said that she was initially excited to “wear the skirts and just dress more girly” when they were doing fittings for Mean Girls, but that she was relieved when she played Cady at the beginning of the film, as she dressed far more casual than her “Plastic” counterparts at that point. “I got to chill and just relax, and everyone was kinda jealous because I was wearing sneakers and they couldn’t everyday,” said Lohan. The actress has expressed interest in returning for a Mean Girls 2, but the idea appears to rest with Fey, who has yet to churn out a script for one, as she’s been busy working on Mean Girls: The Musical instead.
Lohan’s career never seemed to peak beyond her work in Mean Girls, which remains a commonly referenced and popular title among its many fans. It’s interesting to think about what she might have brought to the role of Regina George, however, as it’s possible it could’ve opened up new doors for her afterward. Lohan was continually cast in similar leading lady roles, but didn’t start challenging herself after things had slowed down and the opportunities weren’t as fresh as before. Perhaps she’ll get a chance to reprise the role at some point, but until then, audiences will have to thrive on rewatching the original Mean Girls, which seems to be in the regular rotation for fans. Lohan will next appear in the Netflix original film, Falling For Christmas, later this year.
