"I think Tina did a great job of getting into girls’ heads,” says the 17-year-old actress, whose 1998 feature film debut in “The Parent Trap” drew rave reviews, as did her more recent “Freaky Friday” performance. “The script is very realistic, very true to high school and the rivalry that goes on there.”
Lohan points out that all kids — both boys and girls — go through a lot of phases until they find themselves, and the environment in school doesn’t help. “In Cady’s case, she gets caught between the Mathlete World, where being a good student is what it’s all about, and the Plastic World, where being liked is the most important thing. I think every girl going to high school now, who will go or who already went can relate to this. I know I certainly do.”
Waters agrees completely with Lohan’s description of Cady’s predicament, adding that the actress truly nailed the character.
“Having been brought up in isolated circumstances abroad, Cady has no conception of what it means to live in modern-day culture,” Waters observes. “Then she gets plunked down in the middle of this crazy petri dish of a Midwestern public high school and is 'adopted’ by various groups who try to make her their own. It’s hard on her, and she ends up finding a real ‘dark side’ of herself that she never knew existed.”
Waters adds that Lohan is perfect for the role because it calls for a strong actress with a strong personality. "Audiences have to believe that Cady is capable of going from this innocent girl to one capable of true meanness, then back to a girl with real humanity,” says Waters. “Lindsay handled it beautifully. In the beginning, when she’s supposed to be sort of passive, she’s still so alive that audiences never stop believing she’s a formidable contender.”
To play the role of Regina George, Queen Bee of North Shore High’s three-girl clique, The Plastics, filmmakers cast Rachel McAdams, who was last seen on the big screen as a lead star in “The Hot Chick.” Never affiliating herself with any one specific group when she went to high school, McAdams says she had a great time camping it up as the Queen Bee of all Queen Bees.
“Regina is absolutely in a league of her own at the very top, at the very pinnacle of popularity at her school,” observes McAdams. “In essence, she and her friends practically run the school, since they dictate what’s cool and what’s not, the style of clothing everyone should wear and how people should behave.”
McAdams also points out that, as Queen Bee, Regina completely understands the notion that it’s good to keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer.
“Regina is definitely smart, and she knows the second she meets Cady that her domain could be threatened,” McAdams observes. “She recognizes that Cady is pretty enough and smart enough to be very popular. and she realizes that if Cady becomes high school savvy enough, she has the potential to throw Regina right off her throne. So she immediately takes Cady under her wing to keep an eye on her.”
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