‘Mean Girls’ remake clarifies the queer storylines muddled by the original
'Mean Girls' actors Renée Rapp and Auli’i Cravalho have spoken about their characters' sexualities in the adaptation of the beloved 2004 film and Broadway musical.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the new “Mean Girls” movie.
The highly anticipated “Mean Girls” remake brings the original story of “the plastics” back to the big screen with the soundtrack of its Broadway run and some significant changes to its cast and storylines. While queen bee Regina George (Renée Rapp) remains a vicious blonde, the supporting cast around her has notably diversified.
Among the new faces is Auli’i Cravalho, known for her voice role in “Moana,” who plays Janis, a school outcast who befriends new girl Cady (Angourie Rice) as she navigates the social hierarchy of North Shore High. In the original film, Janis (played by Lizzy Caplan) was rumored to be a lesbian and was the target of a homophobic slur, though her sexuality was never clarified.
In the new adaptation, Cravalho revealed, Janis is a “loud and proud” lesbian. Her character’s last name was also changed from Ian to ‘Imi’ike to correspond with Cravalho’s own native Hawaiian identity.
Avantika as Karen Shetty, Renee Rapp as Regina George, Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners and Angourie Rice as Cady Heron in "Mean Girls."Jojo Whilden / Paramount Pictures“Previously, in our [2004] version, ‘lesbian’ for Janis was used kind of as a slur, and we’re taking that back,” Cravalho recently told ScreenRant.
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