During the filming of “Mean Girls,” Rachel McAdams was 26 years old, 10 years older than her character, Regina George. Mark Waters, the director of “Mean Girls,” revealed how this affected casting. Apparently, McAdams initially auditioned for the role of Cady Heron, which went to Lindsay Lohan. Waters told Vulture in 2014, “I remember watching her do the scene, and after it was over, I told her, ‘I think you’re a movie star, but you’re way too old for this character. You just aren’t going to be able to play the ingenue.” Yet McAdams’ age didn’t get in the way too much. McAdams told Entertainment Weekly, “Mark said, ‘I see Cady a little bit younger, but I think it makes sense if Regina kind of grew up a little too fast.'”
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Interestingly enough, Lohan had her sights set on playing the part of Regina George. In a 2022 video for Vogue, Lohan explained that after working on “Freaky Friday,” she was interested in playing a character that contrasted with her previous roles. She shared, “I wanted to have a different kind of role than just the damaged teenager again.” Lohan added, “Mark Waters, the director, was insistent that I play Cady, and so was Tina [Fey]. They’re like, ‘No, no, no, you’re the lovable one. You have to play Cady.'”
