Rachel McAdams explains why she turned down the Mean Girls reunion last year

The grown-up Plastics were without their Queen Bee

Why Rachel McAdams didn't attend the Mean Girls reunion
(Image credit: © 2004 PARAMOUNT PICTURES)

We've been waiting for a Mean Girls reunion for decades, with the 2004 film still much-loved (and much-quoted) to this day. Last year, fans of the noughties classic got their wish - but not in the form of a sequel or a cameo. Instead, it was in the unlikely form of a Walmart commercial. 

The Black Friday Walmart advert saw Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert reprise their original Mean Girls roles, but Rachel McAdams - who played Queen Bee, Regina George - was notably absent. 

In an interview with Variety, Rachel explained why she turned down the chance to join her co-stars during the Mean Girls reunion. She said: "I guess I wasn’t that excited about doing a commercial, if I’m being totally honest. A movie sounded awesome, but I’ve never done commercials, and it just didn’t feel like my bag."

However, Rachel added that if she knew the others were taking part, her answer may have been different. She continued: "Also…I didn’t know that everyone was doing it. 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."

Lindsay Lohan, who reprised her role of Cady Heron for the advert, has spoken positively about the Mean Girls reunion, telling People: "It was so nice being back together after all these years. It was great catching up with everyone."

Lacey Chabert, who played Gretchen Wiener in the original film, added: "It was wonderful to spend the day with Amanda and Lindsay, and it was so much fun getting to reminisce and be together again."

While we might not be seeing Rachel in a Mean Girls reunion any time soon, we do have the Mean Girls musical movie to look forward to this January.

The new take on the millennial movie is an adaptation of the 2018 Tony-nominated Broadway musical, with a Gen-Z twist and stars Reneé Rapp of The Sex Lives of College Girls as Regina George. FYI, the Mean Girls musical is also coming to London this year.

Rachel also said that there could have been a cameo in the next-gen Mean Girls for her on the cards, explaining: "Tina and I sort of dabbled with a few ideas, but it was tough to make it all work in the end. 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."

Other cast members for the new Mean Girls film include writer Tina Fey, Busy Philipps as Regina's mum and Tim Meadows, who returns as Principal Duvall.

Mean Girls is set to be released in UK cinemas on January 19th 2024.

Lauren is the former Deputy Digital Editor at woman&home and became a journalist mainly because she enjoys being nosy. With a background in features journalism, Lauren has bylines in publications such as Marie Claire UK, Red Magazine, House of Coco, women&home, GoodTo, Woman's Own and Woman magazine.

She started writing for national papers and magazines at Medavia news agency, before landing a job in London working as a lifestyle assistant and covers everything from fashion and celebrity style to beauty and careers.