- "Mean Girls" was released on April 30, 2004, and has become a much-quoted classic.
- Most of the characters were juniors in high school and around the ages of 16 or 17.
- Many of the actors who played high school students were in their 20s at the time.
"Mean Girls" centers around the characters' junior year in high school, making most of the characters around the age of 16.
However, some of the cast members were as old as 26 at the time of filming.
The teen comedy, which was released on April 30, 2004, told the story of Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, as she tried to fit in with a group of superficial girls known as "the Plastics."
Written by Tina Fey, the movie won several Teen Choice Awards and MTV Movie & TV Awards, and it has earned its right as a teen classic.
Keep scrolling to see the real ages of the "Mean Girls" cast, from Regina George to Kevin G.
Queen bee Regina George was around 16 or 17 in "Mean Girls."
With multiple Spring Fling Queen titles under her belt, Regina George entered her junior year at the start of "Mean Girls." She becomes the film's central antagonist, as Cady Heron hopes to date Regina's ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels.
Rachel McAdams was 26 during filming.
Rachel McAdams was 10 years older than her "Mean Girls" character. In the same year, she played 17-year-old Allie Hamilton in "The Notebook."
Mark Waters, director of "Mean Girls," initially thought McAdams was too old to play Regina, according to E! News. Waters later realized he couldn't pass on McAdams's talent and felt it would make sense that Regina grew up too fast.
The main character, Cady Heron, was 16.
After being home-schooled in Africa for 12 years, Cady and her family moved to Evanston, Illinois, where she entered her junior year at North Shore High School.
Lindsay Lohan was 18.
Lindsay Lohan was much closer in age to her character than her counterpart Rachel McAdams. Out of the four main actresses in the movie, she was also the youngest.
Lohan actually wanted to play Regina at first, and McAdams first auditioned for the role of Cady. Lohan told Entertainment Weekly she wanted to be "the cool girl on set," but director Mark Waters told her, "No, Cady is the heroine, and that's who you are."
The third member of "The Plastics," Gretchen Wieners, was also 16.
As Regina's sidekick, Gretchen was the gossip of the group. Known for being the daughter of the man who invented Toaster Strudel, Gretchen refused to apologize for being popular. Did we mention she tried to make "fetch" happen?
Lacey Chabert was 21 while filming "Mean Girls."
While not the oldest member of the cast, Lacey Chabert was still five years older than her character in "Mean Girls," making her the second oldest out of the four girls.
She told Entertainment Weekly that she turned 21 on the day they filmed a scene of the girls walking in the mall. The crew gave Chabert a cake, and everyone in the mall sang "Happy Birthday" to her.
Chabert has since left comedy to pursue other genres. She told Access she has appeared in 18 Hallmark movies since "Mean Girls."
Karen Smith was 16 in "Mean Girls" as well.
Karen Smith's peers often criticized her intelligence, but she remained confident enough to become the school's meteorologist by her senior year. Smith's most iconic one-liner, "On Wednesdays, we wear pink," reflects the important rules "The Plastics" kept for themselves and remains a staple in pop culture.
Amanda Seyfried was 19 during filming — three years older than her character.
As the second-youngest girl in the group, Seyfried told Entertainment Weekly that she had just graduated high school before filming "Mean Girls," and that jumping into filming was terrifying.
Seyfried told EW, "I don't know what I would have done without Lacey Chabert. She was my angel. She took me in, and we'd hang out in her trailer and listen to Dido."
Janis Ian, also a junior, was presumably 16.
As Regina's ex-best friend, Janis helped Cady sabotage Regina's reputation throughout the film. In an interview with Buzzfeed, Lizzy Caplan — who played Janis — actually agreed that her character was a mean girl herself. At 16, Janis captured the layered backstory that often comes with bullies in high school.
Lizzy Caplan was 22 while filming "Mean Girls."
Caplan was similar in age to Lacey Chabert during filming.
In her interview with Buzzfeed, Caplan reflected on her character being a secret mean girl, saying, "She was way craftier than the other mean girls. She was a mean girl with spy plans — with purpose!"
Damian was also around 16 in "Mean Girls."
Damian was also one of Cady's first friends at school and was Janis' sidekick.
Despite portraying the outdated and problematic "Gay Best Friend" trope, Damian was by far one of the funniest characters in the film. His one-liners like "She doesn't even go here!" and "You go, Glen Coco!" make him an icon to this day.
During filming, Daniel Franzese was 26 — a decade older than his character in "Mean Girls."
He ties with McAdams for the largest age gap between a cast member and their character in the film.
Franzese, now in his 40s, told the Observer that although he was 10 years older than his character, Franzese saw himself in Damian — except Damian was out of the closet and Franzese wasn't at the time. However, the openly gay persona he feared being associated with turned out to be the vehicle through which Franzese came out himself: during the 10-year anniversary of "Mean Girls."
Franzese said he has seen the impact of a film as seemingly lighthearted as "Mean Girls." One fan wrote to him saying that after previously being bullied for his weight and femininity in school, a group of girls told him, "You're Damian – come sit with us."
Aaron Samuels was around 17.
As a senior at North Shore High School, Aaron Samuels was a year older than the other characters in "Mean Girls." He and Cady met in calculus class, and he eventually became her tutor and love interest — despite the fact that he had recently gotten back together with his ex-girlfriend, Regina George.
Jonathan Bennett was 23 when he starred in "Mean Girls."
Bennett was six years older than his character. He had the second-largest age gap between him and his character, behind both Rachel McAdams and Daniel Franzese, who were a decade older than their characters.
Kevin G. was presumably 16 in "Mean Girls."
Kevin Gnapoor is best known for his performance at the winter talent show. One of his most well-known lines from the film, "Don't let the haters stop you from doing your thang," was a source of advice for Cady before she went to the Spring Fling despite being grounded.
Rajiv Surendra was 15 at the time.
Surendra was the youngest of the group listed and closest to the actual age of his character. However, after "Mean Girls," Surendra struggled to find acting gigs that didn't stereotype Indian men as nerds or terrorists, he told MTV News.
Aside from acting, Surendra has been practicing calligraphy his whole life and even drew the cover of his own memoir, "The Elephants in My Backyard."
Mrs. George is assumed to be in her early 30s.
According to a fan-made Wiki page for the movie, June George is 33 years old, making her around 17 when she had Regina. She is a supportive mother, yet often acts like a teenager herself. She loves wearing pink and wants to be seen as a "cool mom."
Amy Poehler was 32 years old when she filmed "Mean Girls," making her the same age as her character.
At the time of filming and the movie's release, Poehler was a prominent cast member on "Saturday Night Live" alongside her costar and "Mean Girls" writer Tina Fey.
Fans are surprised to this day when they learn that Poehler was only 7 years older than Rachel McAdams when they filmed the movie, despite playing mother and daughter.
Ms. Norbury is also around 32 years old.
She is Cady's math and homeroom teacher and the coach of the North Shore Mathletes, which she encourages Cady to join. After Cady writes in the Burn Book that Ms. Norbury is a drug pusher, Ms. Norbury is critical of Cady's choices and reputation after joining the Plastics.
Tina Fey was 33 years old when she filmed "Mean Girls."
Fey wrote both the "Mean Girls" screenplay and the Broadway musical adaptation, which were based on the non-fiction book "Queen Bees and Wannabes" by Rosalind Wiseman. Fey is also known for her role as Liz Lemon on "30 Rock" and for starring on "Saturday Night Live."
When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyuscCnZKChoqHAbq3GnqpmrqNiv6aty2ajop6V