Angourie Rice On Why Now Is The Right Time To Remake ‘Mean Girls’

Mean Girls is one of the most iconic films from the ‘00s and continues to be referenced constantly, even though it was released almost 20 years ago. So, it’s understandable that the fanbase is slightly sus about the new Mean Girls film that’s hitting cinemas in 2024. 

It’s not a straight remake, instead, it’s a film adaption of the Mean Girls musical that hit Broadway in 2018. I’ve seen the stage version – written by Tina Fey with music composed by her husband Jeff Richmond – and it was incredible. 

Tina Fey is a driving force behind the new iteration of Mean Girls so I have high hopes, plus the cast is stacked. Aussie star Angourie Rice is playing sweet nerd Cady Heron, The Sex Lives of College Girl’s Reneé Rapp reprises her Broadway role as Regina George, The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Christopher Briney is the dreamy Aaron Samuels and Moana’s Auli’i Cravalho is Janis ‘Imi’ike. 

The cast of Mean Girls 2024. Image credit: Paramount

I was lucky enough to chat with Angourie Rice about the upcoming film, and she’s pretty damn convincing when it comes to explaining why now is the right time to breathe new life into the Mean Girls universe. 

“There’s a lot of pressure and responsibility from [fans]… I don’t want to let the fans of the movie down, but I’m included in that,” Angourie told me. “Making the movie, I was like, ‘Well, this has to be good not only for everyone, but for myself, because it’s such a huge part of my childhood and my experience growing up.”

The fact that Angourie was such a huge Mean Girls fan meant that she jumped at the chance to speak to Tina Fey before accepting the role. One of the questions on her mind was simply, why now?

@itspunkee Angourie Rice felt ‘pressure’ stepping into Cady Heron’s shoes for Mean Girls 2024 💅 #angourierice #meangirls #meangirls2024 #lindsaylohan #cadyheron #tinafey #musicaltheatre #meangirlsbway #remake #reginageorge #reneerapp #aussie ♬ You’re Losing Me (From The Vault) – Taylor Swift

“[Tina Fey] was the one who spoke about [the timing]. It meant so much coming from her because it’s obviously her story, her world, her characters. She spoke about how the themes are still really relevant,” she recalled. “She has been so amazed at the life that the movie has had beyond when they first made it in 2004.”

“The themes of friendship and high school and peer pressure [are] all still very relevant. So it makes sense that it just keeps coming back and it’s still in our zeitgeist.”

Angourie Rice as Cady Heron in Mean Girls. Image credit: Paramount, Mean Girls

Why was Angourie Rice “nervous” to play Cady Heron in Mean Girls 2024?

You wouldn’t know it from the first Mean Girls 2024 trailer that dropped, but the new film is an over-the-top, full-blown movie musical. It adds an extra layer of pressure for the cast, and Angourie had some nerves when it came to taking on Lindsay Lohan’s role of Cady Heron.

“I was nervous to do a musical but also so excited. I love musicals, I’m a huge musical theatre fan. I was so excited to be a part of that and to be in situations that I had dreamed of when I was a kid,” she said. “That is the stuff of dreams, so the fear didn’t outweigh my love of musicals, so I was able to just jump in headfirst.”

It helped that Angourie identifies most with her character Cady, and TBH, she seems perfect for the role. “I’m definitely most like Cady, just a bit of a nerd who wants to be cool… but isn’t really,” she laughed. 

When I asked her what people would write about her in a Burn Book, I was surprised by just how Cady-like her answer was. The character is a whip-smart mathlete and if you take away the outside influences from The Plastics, Janice and Damian, I can’t imagine her causing many waves.

@itspunkee Angourie Rice spills what she’d write about her castmates in a Burn Book 👀 #angourierice #meangirls #meangirls2024 #cadyheron #lindsaylohan #reginageorge #remake #meangirlsbway #tinafey #reneerapp #burnbook #fetch #aussiecelebs #reboot #gretchenwieners #karensmith #christopherbriney ♬ Lovin On Me – Jack Harlow

Similarly, Angourie’s biggest crime in high school was simply missing classes. Not because she was skipping school to hang out downtown or lean into her rebellious teen phase, but because she was working. 

“In high school, I think someone would write… ‘Only comes to like 50%’ of class’,” she said. “I was working, so I would travel a lot and skip school and get special consideration which was really great of my teachers to do that.”

It seems like the casting directors have hit this out of the park, so I’m not lying when I say I’m desperate to see the movie. BRB, I’m off to watch the trailer a billion times to tide me over until next month.

Mean Girls comes out in theatres on January 12, 2024.
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Image credits: Paramount, Mean Girls