It’s not that Rachel McAdams couldn’t sit with her “Mean Girls” co-stars in Walmart’s Black Friday commercials earlier this year, it’s that she kind of didn’t want to.
The ads, which debuted in November, saw a majority of the Plastics — Lindsay Lohan, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried — return to North Shore High School to promote Walmart’s big holiday savings.
But McAdams, who played the villainous Regina George in the hit 2004 film, was noticeably missing. And, on Wednesday, the erstwhile leader of the Plastics revealed why.
“I don’t know; I guess I wasn’t that excited about doing a commercial if I’m being totally honest,” McAdams told Variety. “A [potential ‘Mean Girls’ sequel] movie sounded awesome, but I’ve never done commercials, and it just didn’t feel like my bag.”
Simple enough, but the “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” actor might have changed her tune if she knew that the ads would reunite the bulk of the movie’s cast. (Daniel Franzese’s Damian Leigh also appeared in the promotional spots.)
“Also … I didn’t know that everyone was doing it,” McAdams added. “I would, of course, always love to be part of a ‘Mean Girls’ reunion and hang with my Plastics, but yeah, I found that out later.”
“Mean Girls” has remained in pop-culture relevance since its release and heads into its 20th anniversary next year. To mark “Mean Girls” Day on Oct. 3 this year — and perhaps to build hype despite the then-ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike, Paramount Pictures released the comedy classic in its entirety on TikTok. (The move ultimately sparked debate about residuals and compensation for the film’s actors.)
Also, the movie adaptation of Tina Fey’s Tony-nominated Broadway musical version is set to be released in January. Fey, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay and the musical, will reprise her role as North Shore High teacher Ms. Norbury and Tim Meadows will return as the principal. However, the rest of the original cast is not expected to appear in the new film. “The Sex Lives of College Girls” actor and pop singer Reneé Rapp is playing the main antagonist, Regina, a role she also played on the Broadway stage.
McAdams also revealed to Variety that she was in talks with Fey to make a cameo in the upcoming musical film, but the appearance never came to fruition.
“Tina and I sort of dabbled with a few ideas, but it was tough to make it all work in the end,” the Academy Award nominee said. “I was really down for whatever she wanted to do. I think the direction it went in will be fantastic and I cannot wait to see it.”
Times staff writer Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.
