Everyone knows her. Everyone loves her. Everyone fears her. Reneé Rapp plays the cunning queen bee Regina George in Mean Girls, a fresh new adaptation of the 2004 hit classic of the same name.
It isn’t Reneé’s first time playing the iconic alpha girl. In the Broadway adaptation of the 2004 movie, Reneé Rapp was cast as Regina George at just 19 and on the verge of launching her career as a pop musician. Original writer Tina Fey and producer Lorne Michaels convinced her to get the role. “She actually said she wasn’t sure she wanted to do Broadway,” Fey explains. “Lorne and I convinced her she’d be wasting her talent if she didn’t take a run at this.”
Looking back Rapp thinks of how the role impacted her career. “I look back and my jaw is on the ground. I know now how lucky I am. Women in comedy are not often granted the space to be sexy and funny and I think all the girls here are.”
Working with directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., Rapp was encouraged to find a side of Regina George that hasn’t been explored. “In our first conversations, we talked about unlearning what she’d already done and finding a take we hadn’t seen before. When she performs her own music, it’s so raw and personal. She is able to bring more of that this time,” Jayne comments.
In working with the two directors, she channels her experience in filming music videos, which Rapp says what filming Mean Girls reminds her of. “That’s part of the genius behind having them direct this movie. It needs someone who knows how to shoot musical elements, which is a specialized skill. They came with a new eye and a fresh take that make it interesting and fun and lively, not only to watch, but also to be a part of.”
As for what she thinks of Regina George, Rapp calls the character the HBIC– “head bitch in charge.” She empathizes with her as a young woman. “She’s really sexy and powerful, but is also really endearing when you get to know her. She is a villain but you’re forced to empathize with her at times.”
Catch her and the rest of the high school crew as Mean Girls arrives in Philippine cinemas on February 7.