Happy 'Mean Girls' Day!
It's October 3, and that means a day of social media being taken over by the most memorable quotes from the most quotable movie of our generation. Yes, it's Mean GirlsDay, and fans are showing the love for this iconic teen movie.
And this Mean Girls Day, 14 years after the movie premiered, we want to take a minute to look back at the cast. If you're a true fan of the movie, you've likely kept tabs on the talented actors. But it's also worth noting how they've continued to pay tribute to their LGBTQ fans in their careers.
Then: Lindsay Lohan
For any teenager of the 2000s, Lindsay Lohan was a cultural staple. From The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday to Herbie: Fully Loaded and I Know Who Killed Me, she defined a generation.
In Mean Girls, she starred as new student, Cady Heron, who'd just moved from Africa. After the art freaks and the Plastics both vie to take her under their wing, it becomes an all-out high school war. But ultimately, peace is restored, and she learns to be herself once again.
Now: Lindsay Lohan
After Mean Girls, Lohan went on to continued success in film and music. Shortly after the movie, she dated DJ Samantha Ronson. But the pressures of stardom affected her in negative ways, as it does to so many child actors.
Today, it would appear that Lohan is making her way back into the spotlight, with a new beach club in Mykonos and an upcoming MTV reality show based on the venture. But her statements about Donald Trump and the #MeToo movement have landed her in hot water. And most of the internet saw her recent debacle with a family of refugees.
Then: Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams was a promising new name in 2004. Having just starred in the body-swap comedy, The Hot Chick, she shined in Mean Girls, as well as The Notebook, which came out the same year.
In Mean Girls, she played leader of the plastics, Regina George. When Cady is welcomed into the group, she works as a double agent to bring Regina down. Surely enough, Regina begins to unravel throughout her demise.
Now: Rachel McAdams
Since 2004, McAdams has run the gamut as a successful actress. With titles like Sherlock Holmes, True Detective, and Doctor Strange under her belt, she remains in demand.
LGBTQ fans might remember her in Brian De Palma's Passion, the English-language remake of sapphic thriller, Love Crime. Most recently, she starred in the wildly passionate Disobedience. Sebastian Lelio's followup to A Fantastic Woman, it stars McAdams as a Hasidic woman who enters into an affair with her childhood best friend.
Then: Lizzy Caplan
Before Mean Girls, Lizzy Caplan made appearances in shows like Freaks and Geeks and Smallville.
Caplan played Janis Ian, the art freak that was so fondly referred to by the plastics as a "dyke." After her falling-out with Regina, she convinced Cady to go undercover and sabotage the plastics.
Now: Lizzy Caplan
Since Mean Girls, Caplan has gone on to star in a number of successful indie films, as well as mainstream hits. From Cloverfield to Bachelorette, she's proven to be a powerful onscreen presence.
Many fans know her from her '60s-based Showtime series, Masters of Sex. In the show, she portrays real-life sexologist, Virginia E Johnson. Known for its progressive depiction of sexuality during the era, many fans shipped her flirtation with Libby (Caitlin Fitzgerald).
Then: Jonathan Bennett
Mean Girls introduced us to the charm that was our high school crush, Jonathan Bennett. He played Aaron Samuels, the object of both Cady and Regina's affection. He soon becomes a pawn in their war for high school queendom.
Now: Jonathan Bennett
Since Mean Girls, Bennett has appeared in several indie films and TV shows. Many know him as the host of Food Network's Cake Wars. He's also just released The Burn Cookbook, a parody cookbook inspired by Mean Girls.
Last year, Bennett officially came out and revealed he was dating Jaymes Vaughan.
Then: Daniel Franzese
After appearing in films like Bully and Party Monster, Daniel Franzese nabbed one of his most memorable roles in Mean Girls. He played Cady and Janis' best friend, Damian, who was iconically referred to as "too gay to function."
Now: Daniel Franzese
Franzese has been out for a few years. Since then, he's become a notable member of the LGBTQ community.
He's continued with acting, with roles in Looking, Recovery Road, and GLOW. He's also taken to the fashion industry as a model and an entrepreneur of plus-size men's clothing. And fans can see him perform his stand-up comedy as he tours the country.
Then: Amanda Seyfried
After roles in As the World Turns and All My Children, Amanda Seyfried stole several scenes in Mean Girls as dumb blonde, Karen Smith. Her breasts could always tell when it was gonna rain... Well, they could tell when it was raining.
Now: Amanda Seyfried
Since Mean Girls, Seyfried has gone on to success with roles in Veronica Mars, Jennifer's Body, and Les Miserables.
Some fans will recall her sex scene with Julianne Moore in the 2009 film, Chloe. But her gayest films to date have to be the two movie musicals based on Broadway's Mamma Mia!, in which Meryl Streep plays her mom, Cher plays her grandmother, and Christine Baranski plays an aunt-type figure. That might be the actual definition of "too gay to function."
Then: Lacey Chabert
Lacey Chabert had already made a name for herself before Mean Girls. As a child actress, she was known for roles in Party of Five, Lost In Space, and Not Another Teen Movie. She also did some voice acting in Family Guy and The Wild Thornberrys.
In Mean Girls, she played the gossip of the Plastics, Gretchen Wieners. Her dad was the inventor of Toaster Strudel, and her hair was so big because it was full of secrets.
Now: Lacey Chabert
Since Mean Girls, she's gone on to do several indie movies, particularly of the Hallmark Channel variety. Who could forget when she starred in A Christmas Melody alongside Mariah Carey?
