KEY POINTS

  • Mean Girls Day celebrates the iconic moment when Aaron Samuels asks Cady Heron what day it is
  • It has been 18 years since the movie's release, but it remains to be relevant
  • Some of its most enduring lines and scenes continue to make rounds on the internet
  • Tina Fey wanted Rachel McAdams to play Regina as a perfect juxtaposition to her real-life polite nature

Mean Girls Day, October 3rd, celebrates the iconic moment when "Mean Girls" character Aaron Samuels asks Cady Heron what day it is. Though it sadly does not fall on a Wednesday this 2022, fans of the 2004 movie are still celebrating this day annually to commemorate the classic teen flick about the competitive world of high school.

It has been 18 years since the movie's release, but some of its most enduring lines and scenes continue to make rounds on the internet. Let's look at 32 facts about the movie and the cast to celebrate Mean Girls Day.

1. The casting had a "Freaky Friday" moment of its own.

Regina George and Cady Heron
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

Lindsay Lohan wanted to play Regina George, while Rachel McAdams wanted to play Cady Heron.

2. Tina Fey wanted Rachel McAdams to play Regina as a perfect juxtaposition to her real-life polite nature.

Regina George
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

3. Director Mark Waters said Lohan's take on Regina had an "aggressive, testosterone-laden energy" that was hard to match for anyone else playing Cady.

Cady Heron
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

4. The movie was Amanda Seyfried's debut role – and she was supposed to play Regina George. Her version of Regina was "more ethereal ... more frightening, but oddly, less intimidating."

Karen Smith
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

5. Rosalind Wiseman, the author of "Queen Bees and the Wannabees," the book "Mean Girls" was based on, wished the movie "had a more clear stance on homophobia."

Mean Girls
A musical production of the film “Mean Girls” will finally premiere in October and then make its Broadway debut in 2018. Paramount Pictures

Thankfully, the musical fixed this. Wiseman said she's "very proud of it."

6. Fey named the characters in the movie after her real-life friends. Glen Coco was named after her brother, Cady after her college roommate, and Damian after her high school friend.

Tina Fey
Tina Fey arrives at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Sept.18, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

7. Waters told McAdams to listen to Courtney Love "at high volume" and watch Alec Baldwin in "Glengarry Glen Ross" to channel her inner Regina.

GettyImages-950973216
17. Rachel McAdams - A Canadian actress by trade, Rachel McAdams got her start working in Canadian television and film productions after graduating from a theater degree program at York University in 2001. Before getting into acting however, McAdams spent most of her childhood figure skating. Jason Merritt/Getty Images

8. Lacey Chabert was always going to be Gretchen Weiners. Though Ashley Tisdale was initially considered.

Gretchen Weiners
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

9. The casting team went to four cities to find their Damian, played by Daniel Franzese. The roles of Gretchen and Damian were cast last.

Damian - Played by Daniel Franzese
Mean Girls

10. Lizzy Caplan convinced Waters, with her raw talent, that she was perfect to play Janis Ian. Initially, he thought she was too conventionally attractive for the part.

 Janis Ian Played By Lizzy Caplan
Mean Girls

11. The role of June George, Regina's mother, was written for Amy Poehler. She was only seven years older than her on-screen daughter.

June George
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

Costume designers put in the effort to make Poehler look like an older woman dressing young.

12. We could have had Blake Lively as Karen Smith...

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73. Blake Lively - An American actress, Blake Lively is perhaps best known for playing Serena van der Woodsen in the CW drama series Gossip Girl. She’s married to American actor and producer Ryan Reynolds, who she has been with since 2012. Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

13. ... And James Franco as Aaron Samuels.

James Franco as Frankie
Vincent (James Franco) gets an unexpected question from Abby’s (Margarita Levieva) dad in Season 1, episode 7 of “The Deuce.” Paul Schiraldi

14. The original Aaron Samuels was fired, leading to Jonathan Bennett as a last-minute replacement. Fey considered him for his resemblance to Jimmy Fallon.

Aaron Samuels
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

15. The filming of the movie took two months. It was shot in three different schools – Two in Toronto, Canada and one in Montclair, New Jersey.

Mean Girls movie
A promotional photo for 2004's "Mean Girls." From left: Lacey Chabert, Rachel McAdams, Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried. Paramount Pictures

16. Mariah Carey admitted to being a fan of the film – enough to include a line from the movie in her single "Obsessed."

In this photo taken on December 17, 2019, US singer Mariah Carey participates in the ceremonial lighting of the Empire State Building in celebration of the 25th anniversary of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" in New York City
In this photo taken on December 17, 2019, US singer Mariah Carey participates in the ceremonial lighting of the Empire State Building in celebration of the 25th anniversary of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" in New York City AFP / Dia DIPASUPIL

17. Ariana Grande parodied the movie in the music video for "Thank U, Next" – featuring actors Jonathan Bennett and Stefanie Drummond.

lohan grande video
Ariana Grande is releasing a music video inspired by Lindsay Lohan’s “Mean Girls.” Pictured: Lohan at the DailyMail.com & DailyMailTV Holiday Party on Dec. 6, 2017 at The Magic Hour in New York City and Grande at the 2018 iHeartRadio Wango Tango at Banc of California Stadium on June 2, 2018 in Los Angeles. Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Daily Mail; Jesse Grant/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

18. The movie's popularity has spawned a video game, a made-for-television sequel and a musical on Broadway.

Mean Girls
"Mean Girls" is giving away free tickets to fans for an Oct. 3 performance. The cast is pictured at the Tony Awards on June 10, 2018 in New York City. Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

19. A spin-off based on another book by the same author was planned in 2014 called "Mean Moms," starring Jennifer Aniston.

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59. Jennifer Aniston - An American actress, producer, and businesswoman, Jennifer Aniston started working in the industry at a young age with an uncredited role in the 1987 film Mac and Me. She later became a household name after starring as Rachel in the sitcom Friends. Aniston is now one of the biggest stars in Hollywood who famously married and divorced Brad Pitt. Jason Merritt/Getty Images

20. Even the White House, during the Obama administration, used a "Mean Girls" quote.

Barack Obama
In this handout from the The White House, former President Barack Obama plays football with the family dog Bo on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., May 12, 2009. Getty Images/ Pete Souza

Posted on Twitter, President Obama's dog Bo held a tennis ball with the caption, "Bo, stop trying to make fetch happen."

21. Even in 2020, during the pandemic, "Mean Girls" quotes remained relevant. Ireland's Prime Minister quoted the line "the limit does not exist" during a briefing for the COVID-19 pandemic.

A scene from Mean Girls
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

22. "Is your muffin buttered?" was one of the changes made to the script to alter its original R rating to PG-13.

Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

23. The Christmas performance of "The Plastics" had them wearing skirts out of plastic.

Will There Be A Mean Girls 3 With The Original Cast?
Mean Girls Mean Girls

24. "The Plastics" actually never called themselves the famous name.

The Plastics from Mean Girls
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

25. Fey did make "fetch" happen.

Tina Fey in Mean Girls
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

She wanted to add a timeless quality to the film – so she invented the now-popular term among cult fans.

26. The bus accident is foreshadowed twice in the movie.

Regina George played by Rachel McAdams
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

One on Cady's first day when she's not checking the road, and another when she says, "...this one hit me like a big yellow school bus."

27. Fey took lesson plans from her friend's Calculus teacher boyfriend to understand the lines for her role as a math teacher.

The Math Teacher, Ms. Norbury, Played By Tina Fey
Mean Girls

28. After playing the role of Damian, Daniel Franzese said even grown men approached him on the streets to thank him for playing the part.

Mean Girls
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

"This was a natural and true representation of a gay teenager—a character we laughed with instead of at," he said. Franzese came out publicly as gay a decade after the movie – thanking Damian for giving him the confidence.

29. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Evan Rachel Wood passed on the "Mean Girls" audition. Winstead's mother read the movie script but thought the humor was "too raunchy" for her taste.

Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead poses at the premiere of "Like Crazy" at the Egyptian theatre in Hollywood, California
Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead poses at the premiere of "Like Crazy" at the Egyptian theatre in Hollywood, California October 25, 2011. Reuters

30. Actor David Reale, known to the world as Glen Coco, was never paid for his role.

The Plastics from Mean Girls
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

He was never officially hired; he just hung around on the set for the free food.

31. Gretchen's speech about The Plastics' rules was straight out of the book.

The Burn Book from Mean Girls
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures

32. Costume designers collected yearbooks from small towns to create the movie's wardrobe.

Mean Girls class
Mean Girls/Paramount Pictures