Harry Styles could have been in Mean Girls. Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., directors of the movie musical remake of the 2004 comedy, revealed that they had them in mind for one particular role.
Jayne and Perez spoke about the making of the new Mean Girls for an interview published by The Hollywood Reporter Saturday (Jan. 13), a day after the film’s opening. The topic of conversation turned to memorable lines and comedic moments from the original movie.
“There are certain iconic lines where we would joke that there would be riots in the streets if it wasn’t in there. Like ‘You go, Glen Coco!’ Give the people what they want. Give me what I want! But when we were like, ‘Who’s Glen Coco?’” Jayne said.
“Who can it be?” Perez chimed in, then shared: “I remember us going, could we ask, like, Harry Styles?”
“We were like Harry Styles could be Glen Coco!” Jayne confirmed.
But, Jayne continued, “Then we were like, hold on, we love to break the fourth wall: What if we are all Glen Coco? So, after 20 years, we can all feel like Glen Coco.” (In a THR editor’s note, the publication explained that the line is actually delivered straight to the camera/audience.)
The 2024 incarnation of Mean Girls is based on the Broadway musical adaptation of the 2004 Tina Fey-penned film, which starred Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams. The remake features Reneé Rapp as Regina George and Angourie Rice as Cady Heron, while Fey reprises her role as Ms. Norbury and Tim Meadows is back as Mr. Duvall. Plus, Lohan returns for a cameo.
Mean Girls opened in theaters Friday (Jan. 12).
According to a box office report from THR, the Paramount film is on track to win “the box office popularity contest” with an estimated four-day opening of $31.5 million over the long holiday weekend.