Mean Girls' Karen Was Almost Played By Blake Lively

Karen Smith, the lovably dimwitted blonde played by Amanda Seyfried, is one of the most memorable and beloved characters in the 2004 teen comedy classic "Mean Girls."  That's thanks in large part to Seyfried's embodiment of the character, which might make it a little tough for "Mean Girls" fans to imagine that at one point in time, the part very nearly went to an entirely different actress.

According to a recent interview with Seyfried herself, the role of Karen nearly went to Blake Lively. Seyfried, at that point, was auditioning for the part of chief Mean Girl Regina George, who of course ended up being played by Rachel McAdams. An alternate timeline version of "Mean Girls" with Seyfried in the role of Regina and Blake Lively as Karen is a tantalizing prospect for fans of the movie, but probably not one they'd trade for the version they know and love, which still resonates almost 20 years later.

The tidbit comes out of a recent interview between Amanda Seyfried and Vanity Fair for their "Scene Selection" YouTube feature. Naturally, her role in "Mean Girls" was among her most famous covered in the video. "I met Lacey Chabert for the first time, and Lindsay Lohan was in the room, and Blake Lively was playing Karen, and then I was Regina," remembered Seyfried. Thankfully, the audition produced a bit of unexpected inspiration on the part of the filmmakers. "I flew home, and they were like, 'We think you're more correct for Karen,'" said Seyfried. "So I was like, 'Oh God, okay, sure.'"

Marci Liroff, casting director for "Mean Girls," had previously noted in an interview with Cosmopolitan that Blake Lively was the original choice for Karen Smith in a retrospective interview about the film, and here we have it confirmed directly from Seyfried herself.

Somewhere out there in the Meaniverse, there's another Karen Smith who looks like Blake Lively, and another Regina George who looks like Amanda Seyfried. Pretty tough to imagine, even if you have ESPN.