Where You've Seen The Cast Of 2024's Mean Girls Before
It's time for fetch to happen. "Mean Girls" is coming back to the big screen 20 years after the original film hit cineplexes. A story that continues to speak to new generations, the iconic teen flick became a Broadway musical in 2018. Now it's time for a movie adaptation of the musical, bringing the beloved narrative to audiences again with a musical twist.
"Mean Girls" follows Cady Heron, a new girl in school who used to be homeschooled. She struggles to adapt to her new surroundings until a popular trio of girls called the Plastics takes her under their wing. As she climbs higher up the social pyramid while trying to impress her crush, Cady learns how to better navigate the social dynamics of high school without losing who she is.
In addition to being considered one of the best teen movies ever made, the original film boasts an iconic cast, with Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amanda Seyfried turning in memorable performances. The new movie is no different, with a stacked line-up of actors you're sure to recognize. From familiar faces in the "Mean Girls" universe to stars of classic TV shows, here's where you've seen the cast of the new "Mean Girls" movie before.
Angourie Rice as Cady Heron
Australian actor Angourie Rice stars as Cady Heron, the role famously played by Lindsay Lohan. Cady is the new girl in school, going from drab to glam during the school year as she tries to fit in. She makes friends with the popular girls, the Plastics, and tries to impress Aaron Samuels, the attractive guy who sits in front of her in one of her classes.
Rice broke onto the scene with the 2013 Australian film "These Final Hours." She portrays Rose, a young girl who loses her father after an asteroid hits Earth. She then landed one-off parts in the TV shows "The Doctor Blake Mysteries" and "Worst Year of My Life Again," and her career began to take off in 2016 with a role in the crime comedy "The Nice Guys," starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Rice became a more familiar face when she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Betty Brant, one of Peter Parker's classmates who dates his friend Ned.
The Aussie star appears in all three "Spider-Man" movies and the accompanying web series "The Daily Bugle." She also plays the lead character Rachel in the iconic "Black Mirror" episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too," which stars singer Miley Cyrus. Rice continued having career firsts, moving into lead roles in film and television. She stars as Honor in the Paramount+ movie "Honor Society" opposite "Stranger Things" star Gaten Matarazzo and as lead characters in the miniseries "Mare of Easttown" and "The Last Thing He Told Me."
Reneé Rapp as Regina George
Reneé Rapp moved from the stage to the screen as Queen of the Plastics, Regina George. A Jimmy Award winner in high school, Rapp took over as Regina George in the Broadway musical "Mean Girls" from 2019-2020. At the top of the social pyramid in high school, Regina takes Cady under her wing and shows her the ropes — only to turn on her when Cady's popularity overtakes her own.
After starring as Regina on Broadway, Rapp joined the HBO series "The Sex Lives of College Girls" as Leighton Murray, a college freshman exploring her sexuality as a lesbian while trying to live up to the unrealistic expectations her family places on her. Rapp is part of the main cast for the first two seasons but drops down to a recurring character in the third season. This is due to her desire to focus on singing and taking a step back from acting, since it puts her in a position that makes her feel "so anxious," she told the Los Angeles Times.
Rapp is already a well-established singer, boasting the EP "Everything to Everyone" and the album "Snow Angel." Her music took off on TikTok and helped push her career forward, while performances at the MTV Video Music Awards and headlining tours continue to bring her music to new audiences.
Auliʻi Cravalho as Janis 'Imi'ike
Auliʻi Cravalho began her career as an actor when she voiced the titular role in Disney's "Moana." Remarkably, she was the last person to read for the role. She continued her work with Disney after that, recording a Hawaiian-language dub of "Moana," voicing the same character in "Ralph Breaks the Internet," and then portraying Ariel in "The Little Mermaid Live!" However, she's also plied her trade in plenty of non-Disney projects.
Cravalho starred in the single-season NBC series "Rise" opposite Josh Radnor as Lilette Suarez in 2018 and the 2020 Netflix drama "All Together Now" as Amber Appleton. She continues to work with different networks, streamers, and mediums, starring in the Hulu original movies "Darby and the Dead" and "Crush," and the Prime Video series "The Power." She also featured in an "Evita" concert in London, a huge moment for her. "I am absolutely thrilled to be playing the beautiful role of Eva Peron in 'Evita,' one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most iconic leading ladies, alongside such incredible West End talent," she told Playbill.
In "Mean Girls," Cravalho plays Janis 'Imi'ike, one of Cady's new friends and a bit of an outcast at school. In the original film, the character's last name is Ian, but it was changed to "Sarkisian" for the stage adaptation. The change to "'Imi'ike" reflects the actor's heritage.
Christopher Briney as Aaron Samuels
Christopher Briney moves from the seaside town of Cousins Beach to the halls of high school to portray Aaron Samuels. The actor is most recognizable for his breakthrough role as Conrad Fisher, one of the two love interests in the popular Prime Video series "The Summer I Turned Pretty." Like other young adult franchises, the show encourages audiences to pick one of the Fisher brothers as a love match for Belly Conklin (Lola Tung).
Briney has also lent his voice to audiobooks. He voices Conrad in the new audiobook version of "We'll Always Have Summer," the second book in the trilogy that "The Summer I Turned Pretty" is based on. Audible subscribers may know him as the voice of Aaron Fortin in the Audible Original Story "Influencer." Fans of the art world might recognize Briney from "Dalíland," the 2022 film about Salvador Dalí. He plays James Linton.
Aaron Samuels is Cady's love interest throughout the movie and part of her motivation to rebrand herself. Despite being a musical, Briney confirmed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that his character won't be singing. He originally passed on the audition because it would involve singing, only considering the role after that was removed from the character description.
Jaquel Spivey as Damian Hubbard
"Mean Girls" marks the film debut of actor Jaquel Spivey. He plays Damien Hubbard, Janis' best friend, one of Cady's new friends, and someone who is happy to loan you some pink to wear on Wednesdays. Spivey previously appeared on stage in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "A Strange Loop." The musical follows an usher for "The Lion King" who is trying to write his own show while struggling with his family's reaction to his identity as a queer man.
Spivey portrayed the role for the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company's limited run and then reprised it for the musical's time on Broadway. "A Strange Loop" won the Tony Award for best musical in 2022, making waves on the theater scene. For his starring role, Spivey won the Drama Desk Award for outstanding actor in a musical and was nominated for the Tony Award for best actor in a musical. Talking about his transition from the stage to the screen, Spivey told Screen Rant: "When you have all these vets of the screen that you have to work with, I think you pick things up really quickly."
Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners
Bebe Wood plays Gretchen Wieners, a girl trying to make "fetch" happen — she's desperate for people to start using the word as a synonym for cool, but it just won't catch on. While "Mean Girls" is one of the few films Wood has been in, audiences might recognize her from small roles in a few TV shows, including "30 Rock" and "Veep." Wood's first major role on television came in the NBC series "The New Normal." She plays Shania Clemmons, the daughter of the lead characters' surrogate. The series only aired for one season.
Wood's next sitcom, "The Real O'Neals," saw her take on the role of Shannon O'Neal, a young Catholic girl living in Chicago with her family. Like "The New Normal," the sitcom wasn't on the air for long, ending after two seasons. The younger generation may recognize Wood for playing Lake Meriwether in "Love, Victor," the spin-off series of the popular teen movie "Love, Simon." During the show's three-season run, Lake questions her sexuality and learns more about herself.
Wood went on to voice the lead character for the audiobook "Kate in Waiting," another book in the series that the "Love, Simon" film is based on. Audiences may also know her voice from her work with Guillermo del Toro's animated "Tales of Arcadia" franchise: She voices the character Shannon Longhannon.
Avantika Vandanapu as Karen Shetty
Avantika Vandanapu (credited as just Avantika) brings Karen — the girl with breasts that can predict rain — to life. She's concerned Regina will give her a unibrow and always ready for a dance break. Vandanapu started her career in Indian cinema, appearing in the Telugu language films "Manamantha," "Oxygen," and "Agnyaathavaasi." Her roles in her first films range from the younger version of characters to the daughter of the leads. Fans of foreign horror may also recognize her from the 2021 Tamil language film "Boomika."
Her crossover to English language projects came via Disney. She landed a recurring voice role as Kamala in the animated series "Mira, Royal Detective" and she also appeared in the series "Diary of a Future President" and the movie "Spin." "Diary of a Future President" sees her as Monyca, Bobby's (Charlie Bushnell) ex-girlfriend, and she plays the lead role of Rhea Kumar in "Spin." Rhea is an Indian-American teen struggling after the death of her mother. Vandanapu also appears in the 2022 Rebel Wilson-led Netflix film "Senior Year" as Janet Singh.
Tina Fey as Ms. Norbury
Tina Fey is synonymous with "Mean Girls." She plays Ms. Norbury (the teacher who tries to help the school's female population after the release of the Burn Book) in the original film, which she also wrote. Fey went on to help adapt the movie to the stage, credited as the playwright. She returns to her role as Ms. Norbury for the film adaptation of the musical and once again helped pen the screenplay.
Fey is perhaps best known for her comedic presence on "Saturday Night Live," spending almost a decade with the series. She created the popular sitcom "30 Rock" and starred in films like "Date Night," "Muppets Most Wanted," and "Admission." Fey also developed "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "Mr. Mayor" in addition to being an executive producer on "Girls5eva" and "Great News."
Audiences may also recognize Fey from her hosting gigs. She has hosted the televised Golden Globes ceremony several times with fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum Amy Poehler, and she has returned to "Saturday Night Live" as a host on a numerous occasions. Fey's recent projects include the recurring role of true crime podcaster Cinda Canning in the Hulu original series "Only Murders in the Building" and the Hercule Poirot detective film "A Haunting in Venice," in which she plays novelist Ariadne Oliver.
Tim Meadows as Principal Duvall
Reprising his role from the original film, Tim Meadows is back as Principal Ron Duvall, one of many memorable roles from his past. From playing the Athletic Cone in the 1993 film "Coneheads" to Leon Phelps in "The Ladies Man," he's been around for a long time.
After appearing on "Saturday Night Live" for ten seasons, Meadows continued to be on television. Audiences may know his face from his roles in "The Bill Engvall Show," "Mr. Box Office," "The Goldbergs," or the game show "Funny You Should Ask." He also appears in episodes of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Poker Face," "The Mandalorian," and "Miracle Workers." He also has some voice work on his resume, with roles in the likes of "BoJack Horseman" and "Bob's Burgers."
In terms of mainstream movies, Meadows has plied his trade in the likes of "Grown Ups" and "Grown Ups 2," "Train Wreck," and "Hubie Halloween." Notably, he also appeared in the 2011 made-for-TV sequel "Mean Girls 2," continuing his role as Principal Duvall. As a result, he's the only cast member to play the same character in all three "Mean Girls" movies.
Jenna Fischer as Ms. Heron
Audiences know her as Pam from "The Office," but in "Mean Girls," Jenna Fischer is Cady's mother. Ms. Heron knows she can't help her daughter with everything anymore, but it won't stop her from trying. Fischer got her start on the silver screen, appearing in the 1998 films "Channel 493" and "Born Champion." She began her transition to television with her next roles, appearing in episodes of "Undeclared," "Spin City," "Cold Case," and "That '70s Show," in which she played Jackie's idol Stacy Wanamaker.
In 2005, "The Office" began airing and Fischer's time as Pam pushed her into the limelight. While appearing in the hit series, Fischer continued to take on movie roles. She appears as Katie Van Waldenberg in the 2007 film "Blades of Glory," as Jen Stauber in the 2008 film "The Promotion," and as Janice in the 2012 film "The Giant Mechanical Man." "Mean Girls" marks her return to film, as her previous movie was the 2018 Clint Eastwood-directed, true story drama "The 15:17 to Paris."
When "The Office" ended in 2013, Fischer moved on to other series. She portrayed Rhonda McNeil in the British miniseries "You, Me and the Apocalypse" in 2015, Jennifer Lambert in "The Mysteries of Laura" in 2016, and Lena in "Splitting Up Together" from 2018 through 2019.
Busy Philipps as Mrs. George
Busy Philipps is Regina's mother Mrs. George, who tries a bit too hard to be besties with her daughter. She wants to connect with the Plastics but is instead told to make snacks for the group to keep her busy. Philipps is known for her roles in iconic series like "Freaks and Geeks," "Dawson's Creek," and "Cougar Town." For her role as Laurie Keller in "Cougar Town," she won the Critics' Choice Television Award for best supporting actress in a comedy series. She's also appeared in "Malcolm in the Middle," How I Met Your Mother," "Community," "Arrested Development," and "New Girl" over the years.
You may also know Phillips from her time as a guest judge on shows like "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars," "Chopped Junior," and "Beat Bobby Flay." In addition to her prominence on television, Philipps has made her mark on the film industry. She appears as Karen Googlestein in the classic comedy movie "White Chicks," Wendy Best in "I Don't Know How She Does It," Kelli Ann in "He's Just Not That Into You, " and Jane in the Amy Schumer comedy "I Feel Pretty." She also lent her voice to the animated features "The Reef 2: High Tide" and "DC League of Super-Pets." Her recent projects include a main role in "Girls5eva" as Summer Dutkowsky and a guest role as Darby in "Single Drunk Female."
Jon Hamm as Coach Carr
It wouldn't be "Mean Girls" without Coach Carr, an educator very concerned about teen pregnancy. Dwayne Hill portrays the character in the original film, but this time he's played by Jon Hamm, who is known for his appearances in shows like "The Division," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "Good Omens," and, most notably, "Mad Men," in which he plays suave ad man Don Draper. Hamm won the Golden Globe for best actor in a TV drama twice and a Primetime Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series. Audiences may also know Hamm for his voice roles in "The Simpsons," "Bob's Burgers," "Archer," and "Big Mouth."
Hamm previously worked with "Mean Girls" writer and actor Tina Fey on "30 Rock," playing her neighbor and love interest in several episodes. More recently, he portrayed Sheriff Roy Tillman in "Fargo" and voiced Marvin Flute in the animated sitcom "Grimsburg." The actor also appeared in several films before his "Mean Girls" turn, including "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "Bridesmaids," and Edgar Wright's smash hit "Baby Driver." Hamm's recent movie roles include Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson in the box office smash "Top Gun: Maverick" and Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher in "Confess, Fletch."
Ashley Park as Madame Park
Madame Park, one of the teachers in "Mean Girls," is played by Ashley Park. She's best known for her role in the popular Netflix series "Emily in Paris," in which she plays Mindy Chen, an American nanny living in France who becomes Emily's (Lily Collins) first friend. Over the course of the series, audiences learn more about Mindy's home life, her estrangement from her parents, and her dreams of becoming a singer. The fact that she plays a French teacher in "Mean Girls" is an apparent nod to "Emily in Paris."
Since "Emily in Paris," Park has gone on to have recurring roles in "Beef," "Only Murders in the Building," and "Girls5eva." She's played a wide range of characters, from a member of a girl band in "Girls5eva" to an influencer trying to get into the performing arts in "Only Murders in the Building." Park has also appeared in the feature films "Joy Ride" and "Mr. Malcolm's List," a diversely-cast period drama.
Theater fans may also recognize Park from her stage work. She was in the 2015 revival of "The King and I" and she also appeared in the "Mean Girls" Broadway show in 2018 and 2019, playing the role of Gretchen Wieners. Her work in the latter earned her a Tony Award nomination for best actress in a featured role in a musical.