How Actors of Mean Girls Have Changed After 16 Years

It’s been 16 years since Lindsay Lohan played Cady Heron in Mean Girls, the comedy that became a modern classic among millennials-to-be, back when they were still in high school. The strength of this story is that it’s very relatable. After all, we’ve all suffered some type of bullying at some point.

To remember the actors that brightened our teenage years, the Bright Side team decided to check and see what the Mean Girls actors are up to today. Here’s what we found:

1. Lindsay Lohan (Cady Heron)

In 2014, actress, singer, and model Lindsay Lohan worked on an 8-episode series about her personal and professional life called Lindsay. In 2017, she was cast for the second season of Sick Note, to play Katerina West, and, in 2019, she had her own reality show called Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club, produced by MTV.

2. Rachel McAdams (Regina George)

Rachel McAdams has had a prolific career as a movie actress since 2001, but it wasn’t until 2004 that she was truly launched into fame. In 2011, she was cast to play a part in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. She also starred in other known movies such as The Vow and The Notebook and series like True Detective in 2015. Then in 2016, she was nominated for the first time in her career for an Oscar as Best Supporting actress for her performance in Spotlight. She was also cast to participate in the film Eurovision, produced by Netflix.

3. Tim Meadows (Director Ron Duvall)

In 2014, comedian Tim Meadows got the leading role in Marry Me, a popular comedy series. 2 years later, he participated in Son of Zorn, a series mixing the sitcom and the animated genres produced by Fox Television. He also worked in other comic films like Jack and Jill or Popstar: Never Stop, Never Stopping, among others.

4. Tina Fey (Ms. Sharon Norbury)

After co-writing the Mean Girl’s script and playing a leading role, Tina Fey’s prolific career led her to work on about other comic films, where, not only did she act or write screenplays (see 30 Rock), but she also gave voice to characters such as Megamind’s Roxanne Ritchie. In 2019, she played Tammy in Amy Poehler’s Wine Country.

5. Amy Poehler (June George)

Amy’s successful career doesn’t stop at acting. She has produced various sitcoms and movies. She played the lead role in the sitcom Parks and Recreation from 2009 to 2015 and she gave voice to several animated characters, even appearing on SpongeBob SquarePants. She also voiced Joy for Inside Out in 2015. Then, in 2019 she worked again with Tina Fey in Wine Country.

6. Lacey Chabert (Gretchen Wieners)

Lacey’s prolific career in the film and TV industry started a few years before Mean Girls came along, but its release certainly didn’t hurt. On the contrary, she kept working on movies, like 2006’s Bratz, based on the doll collection and she played Zatanna Zatara in the Young Justice TV series. In 2017 she played Chloe Grange for My Secret Valentine, which was released in 2018.

7. Lizzy Caplan (Janis Ian)

Unlike Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan’s performance in Mean Girls did launch her into fame. She did the voiceover for Debbie in Seth MacFarlane’s animated sitcom American Dad!, and she has been cast in both films and series, like Extinction (2018), Now You See Me 2 (2016), and even the popular satirical film The Interview. She’s also played parts in True Blood and in the German series Das Boot. Her character Julia appeared in 4 episodes of New Girl.

8. Amanda Seyfried (Karen Smith)

Amanda Seyfried appeared in a few episodes of series like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order: Special Victim Unit, and House M.D., as a guest in the first season. In 2018, she starred in the second part of the musical Mamma Mia! and she recently played Daphne Blake in the new remake of the animated movie of Scooby Doo, Scoob!. She also played in the movie adaption of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.

9. Daniel Franzese (Damian Leigh)

Besides playing Damian in Mean Girls, Daniel Franzese has played in movies such as 2005’s War of the Worlds, where he played a National Guardsman. In 2016, he played in the television film Looking: The Movie, which was released by HBO. To this day, he has appeared in various movies since his debut in Bully, from 2001.

10. Ana Gasteyer (Betsy Heron)

Ana Gasteyer is a professional comedian and actor with a long CV to show off. She’s best known for her Saturday Night Live appearances and imitations of public figures and celebrities such as Joan Rivers, Celine Dion, and Barbra Streisand, among others. Her last appearance in a film was in Wine Country. She also played a role in 3 episodes of the series Schooled.

11. Neil Flynn (Chip Heron)

You might remember Neil Flynn’s performance in the sitcom The Middle, where he plays the lead role of Michael “Mike” Heck Jr., the dad. This experienced comedian has played in plenty of movies and TV shows and series, including Smallville, The King of the Hill, a few episodes of Joey, a spin-off of the popular ’90s sitcom, Friends.

12. Jonathan Bennett (Aaron Samuels)

And last but not least, the ladies’ man who drove Cady crazy in Mean Girls became the host of the show Cake Wars in 2015, a reality show in which competitors try to bake the best cake for a professional jury. Jonathan Bennett also had quick cameos in TV series such as Smallville and played Adam Chandler in ABC’s All My Children. He also appears in Ariana Grande’s music video “thank u, next” that was released in 2018.

What were your favorite movies when you were a teenager? And what do you think of these actors’ careers? Let us know in the comment section!