Lindsay Lohan shot to fame in 1998 at the age of 12 when she made her big-screen debut in Disney’s “The Parent Trap.” She then went on to solidify her celebrity status by starring in two other popular Disney films, “Freaky Friday” (which celebrated its latest fantastic offering, “Freakier Friday,” this year) and “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.”
By 18, Lohan hit an apex. Her most iconic role may be as the naïve new transfer student Cady Heron in 2004’s “Mean Girls,” which was written by Tina Fey during the height of her “Saturday Night Live” career. Believe it or not, Lohan originally wanted to play one of the mean girls in the film, instead of the doe-eyed lead, but — based on the success of her recent family-friendly persona — Paramount worried that fans wouldn’t want to see her as a villain.
Lohan initially landed a part in the social commentary teen comedy via director Mark Waters, whom she had previously worked with on “Freaky Friday.” He tapped her to play “Mean Girls” bad girl Regina George (a top-tier baddie inspired by Alec Baldwin’s ice cold “Glengarry Glen Ross” salesman), but the combination of “Freaky Friday” being a bigger-than-expected hit and the studio being unable to find anyone suitable to play Cady led to Lohan stepping out of the persona of a plastic villain.
She was soon replaced by Rachel McAdams, who made the role her own. For Lohan, that may have been a disappointment. It may also have been the stroke of luck she needed to land the most memorable role of her career.
Mean Girls became a cultural touchstone
While Lohan didn’t get to play the villain, “Mean Girls” allowed her to break out of the fluffier child star fare she had been stuck with. “Mean Girls” has gone on to become an iconic movie because of memorable catchphrases — like “stop trying to make fetch happen!” — and its still-resonating social commentary about teenage cliques and bullying.
It helped that screenwriter Fey was a hot commodity at the time and was starting to spread her wings, leaving “Saturday Night Live” just two years after the success of “Mean Girls” to premiere “30 Rock,” a show gifted with so many funny moments that we had to make a list. Plus, the biting comedy was unlike anything else at the time. The usual fare included the more fairy tale-style films “A Cinderella Story” and “The Princess Diaries 2” that were also released that year.
Over 20 years later, “Mean Girls” still resonates with audiences. Its timeless take on peer pressure and social hierarchy, mixed with caustic humor, is still permeating pop-culture. “Mean Girls Day” is celebrated annually on October 3rd, because of the memorable exchange between Cady and Aaron (Jonathan Bennett) on that date. Just remember: on Wednesdays, we still wear pink.