#INTERVIEW: ANGOURIE RICE ON “MEAN GIRLS”

By Mr. Will Wong

This is the cinematic event we’ve been waiting for! Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. co-direct the musical adaptation of the iconic 2004 film, penned by Tina Fey. The musical numbers are dazzling, the burns are scalding and this new generation is even more clever than ever. At the center of it all is Cady Heron (Angourie Rice), trying to navigate life in America as a teenager, which turns out to be a lot wilder and animalistic than her time spent in Kenya, being homeschooled by her mom!

We had the great pleasure of chatting with the star of MEAN GIRLS, Angourie Rice. The Australian Actor has built a fantastic resume of work including Mare of Easttown, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Toronto-filmed Every Day. She tells us all about her journey joining the Film, to standing beside Lindsay Lohan at the New York City Premiere of the Film earlier this week.

Rice tells us about the process of being cast in MEAN GIRLS.

Rice: Yeah, so it began with an email from Tina Fey which was so exciting and amazing. So she sent me the Script and note alongside it introducing herself, which she didn’t need to do that. And also talking about the Film and why they were making it, what the vision for it was. And she thought I’d be a good fit for Cady and I was just so flattered she thought that. I read the Script and thought it was so funny. I’ve always loved her humour and her writing is so clever. I immediately knew it was going to be something special.

We ask Rice what the legacy of MEAN GIRLS means to her.

Rice: It means so much, it also spans across generations like beyond the 20 years it’s been around. People either side of those 20 years are still watching it and loving it. It doesn’t really matter what age you are, it’s just so iconic and timeless. But for me in particular, all throughout high school, any sleepover it was just like ‘Let’s watch MEAN GIRLS! It’s so fun! It’s our favourite movie!’.

Also the lines – there’s so much in the vocabulary that when I was on set, I would say a line from the Movie and not even be thinking about it and I’d just say it and go ‘Oh my God, that’s so embarrassing!’. I didn’t even mean to say that on purpose, I actually say that all the time.

The role of Cady Heron in this Film is quite demanding, including vocally. Rice walks us through her process getting ready for the challenge.

Rice: There is a lot of singing and I love singing so much and I’ve grown-up singing. But this type of singing is different. I was really focusing on vocal agility and sustainability, making sure that when I was in the studio for four hours, I wouldn’t lose my voice at the end. So I did a lot of singing lessons and training in order to be able to maintain that. I mean, not to the extent that Jaquel did. He was on Broadway for a year, singing every single night for two and a half hours. I did my best, it was intimidating but I led with vulnerability, led with the fact that ‘Hey! I’m new! Please tell me everything, please give me feedback. I’m not precious about it, I genuinely want to learn.’.

The New York City Premiere of MEAN GIRLS with a surprise appearance by Lindsay Lohan! pic.twitter.com/0euQv5yf9a

— MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) January 9, 2024

You’ve probably seen the pictures above from the New York City Premiere earlier this week with the original Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) making a surprise appearance at the event. We ask Rice what that was like.

Rice: It was mindblowing. I felt like crying, I was so emotional. To be connected with someone in a way you’ve both played the same character, I also had the opportunity to meet Erika Hennigsen, who originated Cady on Broadway. To meet her, ‘I can’t believe I’m in the same room as you’. We both have this shared experience, even though we’ve never met before. It’s such a beautiful thing.

See our Chat below:

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Paramount Pictures Canada release MEAN GIRLS in theatres January 12, 2024.

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures Canada)