Surprising Things About ‘Mean Girls’ That Even the Most Fetch Fans Don’t Know

Does James Franco look sexy with his hair pushed back?? Because he was almost Aaron Samuels. Thankfully, Tina Fey came to her senses and went with the ~irreplaceable~ Jonathan Bennett—because she thought he looked like a young Jimmy Fallon. She’s not wrong!

You know how it goes: “All you sucka MCs ain’t got nothin’ on me...” But before actor Rajiv Surendra got in front of the camera, he needed a pep talk. “Before shooting the scene, Tina, Amy and Lindsay took a video in their hotel room of Amy doing the rap with Tina and Lindsay beatboxing,” he said in 2019. “It actually did help. I don’t know if the rap would have been executed the way it appeared in the film if it had not been for that video.”

While on the topic of the Winter Talent Show...Daniel Franzese revealed the only person in the audience that saw his Christina Aguilera moment was his mom. Yup, movie magic made it look like the auditorium was full.

Don’t know about you, but I felt personally victimized by Regina George when she stared deep into my soul to describe the “ugliest effing skirt” she’d ever seen. It only happens for a split second, but her unmistakable glare directly into the camera—whether done on purpose or not—gives off major “if Jim Halpert were evil” vibes.

Despite seeing the back of his head for literally .05 seconds in the entire movie, Mean Girls wouldn’t be the same without Glen Coco. And, yes, Glen freakin’ Coco is a very real name and a friend of Tina Fey’s.

Ah, there he is! The man, the myth, the legend. Actor David Reale, then just 19 years old, auditioned for the movie but wasn’t cast. That didn’t stop him from SNEAKING ON TO THE SET, stealing food, being caught, and then being given a small, completely made up on the spot part as “a consolation prize.” He was never paid, didn’t get a credit in the movie, and, in his own words, “just sat in a chair and tried not to stare at Lindsay Lohan.” Hear that, kids? Never give up on your dreams!

Amanda Seyfried confirmed her character never wrote anything in those iconic pages at all, saying it was all her “insecure” friends. Which is kinda the most fire burn of them all 🔥🔥🔥.

And Rachel McAdams was almost Cady. Maybe it was because Rachel McAdams was nearly a decade older than her, but Lindsay Lohan acted “intimidated” and “quite nervous” around the then-25-year-old actress when they first met. Her uneasiness caused director Mark Waters to swap their roles. "It did something to Lindsay I liked, so in the testing process head-to-head, Rachel was the better choice," he revealed.

“I was folding sweaters in front room—I think I was shirtless or something—and checked my phone on my break,” Jonathan Bennett said in 2019. “I had a message from my agent saying, ‘Call me back right away; you’re the lead in the new Paramount movie and have to go to Canada tomorrow.’ I was like, ‘Cool, I’ll call you back after my shift,’ and he said, ‘You don't have a shift anymore—go home and start packing.’ I up and quit.”

What you know: Cady and her zoologist parents lived in Africa so they could study animals. What you don’t know: Before booking Mean Girls, Lacey Chabert voiced Eliza in The Wild Thornberrys. The *legendary* cartoon was about a family who travels across Africa to learn about wildlife. Coincidence? Nah.

That’s right—once upon a time, Tina Fey was made of cold, shiny, hard plastic. I’ll hold for a sec and let that sink in. “I revisited high school behaviors of my own—futile, poisonous, bitter behaviors that served no purpose,” the comedy queen admitted to the New York Times. Sorry, I’m in denial.

Nice wig, Janis Regina. Clearly, the iconic quote was directed at the wrong person. Rachel McAdams reportedly didn’t want to bleach her hair for the role, so she was given a $10,000 wig. Which meeeeans...the random mathlete who said “I hear her hair’s insured for $10,000” was kinda right??

Look past Regina’s long blonde hair (especially now that you know it’s not real!), and you’ll spot the flyer to her left that reveals the talent show was on November 27, 2003. Personally, I’d rather be stuffing my face with pie on Thanksgiving, but that’s just me.

In 2015, Dylan’s Candy Bar gave us the gift we never knew we needed when it released actual Kälteen Bars. Instead of burning up your carbs, it filled your tastebuds with peanut buttery goodness. Wanna try it yourself? Here’s the recipe.

Is she a regular mom? Nope. Does she have a name? Tbh, I had no idea. Turns out, Mrs. George’s first name is June. Cady’s parents are Chip and Betsy. The only parent without a first name is Mr. George.

Speaking of June, the bond she shared with her dog is...let’s say interesting. “They, like, pinned a piece of a cocktail wiener into [Amy Poehler’s] bra. I thought this dog was going to tear her apart,” Rachel McAdams recalled to Entertainment Weekly.