Even though it came out in 2004, Mean Girls [1] remains, in Gretchen Wieners's words, as fetch as ever. We still unofficially celebrate Oct. 3, wear pink on Wednesdays [2], and tell Glen Coco to go. Ariana Grande [3] even paid homage to the film in her "Thank U, Next" [4] music video, just in case you forgot how much the Tina Fey [5]-penned comedy enlightened the masses. Given the cult following of the teen flick, there's a ton of fun trivia around its production as well as the cast and crew. To pay our respects to this American masterpiece, we're breaking down truly intriguing behind-the-scenes facts about Mean Girls [6], so scroll ahead for all the details!
Rosalind Wiseman's Nonfiction Book Inspired the Movie
A self-help book for parents about teenage cliques [7], Rosalind Wiseman's Queen Bees and Wannabes inspired Mean Girls [8] with anecdotes about adolescent behaviour. According to Wiseman in a chat with The Wire [9], Fey's Mean Girls held up to her standards and was mostly accurate about how girls behave. Wiseman, however, did note that she did not do trust falls like Ms. Norbury.
Janis Ian Is Legitimately a Real Person
Cady's (Lindsay Lohan [10]) rebellious new friend, Janis Ian (Lizzy Caplan), is named after one of the two musical guests [11] in the first episode of Saturday Night Live [12], as Fey is notoriously an SNL alumnus. The song that won Ian a Grammy, "At Seventeen [13]," shares some major themes with Mean Girls [14], ruminating on the "beauty queens" and "ugly ducklings."
Cady Is Named After Tina Fey's College Roommate
According to a UVA Magazine [15] profile, Fey's friend and college roommate Cady Garey is the namesake for her protagonist in Mean Girls [16]. "We really didn't have any furniture," Garey said. "Just mattresses on the floor and a bean bag in the living room."
The Role of Regina George Almost Went to Other Cast Members
It's hard to imagine a world where Rachel McAdams [17] didn't serve those telling glances as Regina George [18], but the role almost went to other members of the cast, including Amanda Seyfried [19] and Lindsay Lohan [20]. In an Entertainment Weekly [21], Lohan recalled, "I wanted to play Regina. I had just played — in Confessions and Freaky — not the cool girl in school. I was still 17 years old and I wanted to be the cool girl on set. So I had a war with him [director Mark Waters], and he goes, 'No, Cady is the heroine, and that's who you are.'"
Mean Girls Helped Actor Daniel Franzese Come Out
While originally frustrated with his role as Damian, actor Daniel Franzese later penned a coming-out letter to his character in 2014 in IndieWire [22]. "Now in 2014 — ten years later — looking back, it took YOU to teach me how to be proud of myself again. It's okay if no one wants to sit at the table with the 'art freaks.' Being a queer artist is one of my favourite things about myself. I have always been different and that's rad," Franzese expressed in his message.
Glen Coco Is Definitely a Real Person
"You Go, Glen Coco" has become an inexplicable meme over the years, which undoubtedly shook up the life of the real Glen Coco. Fey explained to Entertainment Weekly [23], "I tried to use real names in writing because it's just easier. My older brother's good friend is Glenn Coco. He's a film editor in Los Angeles, and I imagine it's a pain in the butt for him." We sure hope he at least gets those four candy canes.
Costume Designer Mary Jane Fort Read Lots of Teen Magazines and Yearbooks
Mean Girls [24] is a time capsule for the early aughts style [25] with its velour tracksuits and miniskirts. Costume designer Mary Jane Fort actually went to great lengths to capture this moment in the 2000s. "We read millions of teen magazines and looked through millions of high school yearbooks from all over the country. But real schools are not quite as glossy, and we wanted a little more gloss just given the subject matter of the group. It's called the Plastics," Fort told Nylon [26]. She estimated that Lohan had 59 costume changes, while everyone else had over 30.
The Secret Behind the Chihuahua Nipple-Chewing Is Cocktail Wieners
One of the most painfully hilarious scenes in Mean Girls [27] is when the Georges' chihuahua bites Mrs. George's (Amy Poehler [28]) nipples. In Entertainment Weekly [29], McAdams reveals the movie magic behind this bit, explaining, "They, like, pinned a piece of a cocktail wiener into her bra. I thought this dog was going to tear her apart. It was very effective."
Amy Poehler Helped Finesse Kevin G's Rap
And speaking of Poehler, the consummate professional and seasoned performer helped actor Rajiv Surendra with Kevin G's mathlete rap in Mean Girls [30]. According to director Mark Waters in a Vulture interview [31], "Amy definitely coached him on how to do the rap, and she actually gave him some of the moves and choreography for it."
Fey Was Reluctant to Do a Sequel
While there was a made-for-TV standalone sequel for Mean Girls [32], it really had nothing to do with the original film. In 2014, Fey told Entertainment Weekly [33], "At the time we did want to start the conversation about the sequel, and for whatever reason I was like, 'No!!! We shouldn't do that!' Now I look back and I'm like, 'Why?' But now, no — it's too late now." For the 10-year anniversary of the film, the writer also told Extra [34], "We're going to see if there's any way to get everyone together, but not a movie, sadly. We're all past high school age." In the reboot era [35], this doesn't seem to matter as much. And even if there's not a direct sequel, there's still going to be a movie version of the Mean Girls musical [36]!