Lizzy Caplan nearly didn’t play Janis Ian in “Mean Girls.”
The actress, 43, appeared on the latest episode of Penn Badgley’s “Podcrushed” podcast and revealed how she “fought” to be cast in the beloved teen comedy film — and that her role nearly went to someone else.
“It was just the funniest script I had ever read. I wanted to be in it so bad. I fought so hard and then it worked out,” Caplan said, adding that she went through a “very, very” long audition process.”
Lizzy Caplan on “Podcrushed.” Podcrushed/YouTube
Lizzy Caplan as Janis Ian in “Mean Girls.” ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
“Everybody had to audition, I think, for one of the two main [roles]: Cady, the Lindsay Lohan part, or the Rachel McAdams part,” she recalled. “And then they storted us and we’d get called back.”
Caplan continued, “I went in and they were resistant to casting me. Somebody reminded me of this recently: the studio wanted Kelly Osbourne to play that role.”
Lizzy Caplan in “Mean Girls.” ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Kelly Osbourne spotted out in Los Angeles on October 29. BACKGRID
But the film’s hairstylist ended up stepping in to help Caplan secure the job.
“They sent the hair person from Canada down to LA and we went to Hollywood Boulevard and put on dark wigs and just anything to send them screen grabs of me looking like a goth kid,” she explained. ” don’t remember how long the process was, but I remember getting the phone call and where I was when I got the phone call that I got the part.”
Lindsay Lohan, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Franzese in “Mean Girls.” ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
“How many times has that really happened to you in your career: that you just want to celebrate and it’s nothing but exciting?” Caplan added. “Two or three times, maybe?There’s a few jobs that if you’re lucky, you really get to go out and celebrate them. And that was one of them. It really was a blast. I loved making that movie.”
“Mean Girls” was directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey, who was inspired by the self-help book “Queen Bees and Wannabes.”
The film stars Caplan, Lohan, McAdams, Fey, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Jonathan Bennett, Daniel Franzese, Amy Poehler, Tim Meadows and Ana Gasteyer.
Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Rachel McAdams in “Mean Girls.” ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Amy Poehler, Rachel McAdams in “Mean Girls.” ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Lizzy Caplan, Lindsay Lohan in “Mean Girls.” ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection
On the podcast, Caplan said she had a joyous time filming the iconic comedy.
“The whole thing was in Toronto for probably three months,” she recalled. “We lived in the hotel and it felt like a dorm, which, looking back, was a really important thing for me.”
“‘Mean Girls’ scratched that college experience itch. It was so fun,” the “Masters of Sex” actress continued. “I believe it was really for for everybody.”
Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Franzese in “Mean Girls.” ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Caplan also remembered bonding the most with Franzese, who plays Janis’ BFF Damian, and Bennett, who plays heartthrob Aaron Samuels.
“We had the greatest time, just bombing around Toronto,” she said. “Just being in a movie felt like such a big deal to me at the time.”
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