Tina Fey must be one proud woman. The Sisters star has a diverse pedigree, having been a part of the industry over the years as an actor, writer, and producer. But we all know the most impactful thing she did was write Mean Girls. As another version of the movie was recently released, it is only natural to take a dive into the mind of the person behind one of the most iconic teen drama movies of all time. And what was the original plan she had in her mind?
Mean Girls was a phenomenon
Mean Girls has gone on to become a phenomenon. The teen comedy film has had various remakes and a sequel over the years. And the New Year has witnessed the release of a new Mean Girls, starring Reneé Rapp and Angourie Rice. But none can come close to the OG.
Who can forget Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams for the iconic roles they essayed in the 2004 movie? The movie immortalized the characters, the burn book, and most importantly, the Plastics. And the credit for that goes to Tina Fey.
Mean Girls changed Tina Fey’s life
Tina Fey got the idea for Mean Girls from Rosalind Wiseman’s Queen Bees and Wannabes. She would go on to spend the summers of 2002 and 2003 working on the script, one that would go on to transform her career, making her the owner of the screenplay that would fetch her $130 million in 2024. Some script, wasn’t it?
In an interview with the New York Times, she would go on to reveal that the story she originally had in mind was a long way off from the script that we have come to see. When she was asked what her original impression of the story was, she had a strikingly shocking response.
Also Read: Lindsay Lohan or Rachel McAdams, Who is the Highest Paid Mean Girls Star?
Tina Fey originally wanted to focus on the teacher
Wiseman’s Queen Bees and Wannabes was a book about a teacher and her, not-so-usual (or was it), class. When Fey read the book for the first time, she couldn’t help but think one thing – it was all about the teacher (whom she would play in the 2004 movie).
She told The New York Times,
“I first imagined, Oh! It’s going to be about this teacher. It’s going to be like ‘Stand and Deliver.'” (The New York Times)
Things changed soon though. She continued,
“And the more I read the book, the more research I did, [I realized] the girls were the most interesting part. The true stories of the way young women behaved were insidious, but they were also kind of funny in their vicious cleverness.”
In the end, focusing on the students did pay off.
Source: The New York Times
