Lizzy Caplan recalls fighting for Mean Girls role

Lizzy Caplan reflects on her long Mean Girls audition process, revealing the studio’s hesitation

Actress Lizzy Caplan reflected on the long and challenging process behind securing her breakout role as Janis Ian in the 2004 hit comedy Mean Girls. Speaking with Penn Badgley on the Podcrushed podcast, Caplan said she “fought so hard” to be cast in the film and described the audition process as “very, very long.”

Caplan revealed that she initially auditioned for one of the two lead roles—either Cady Heron or Regina George—before casting directors began reassigning hopefuls to different character pools for callbacks. She noted that the studio was initially reluctant to choose her for Janis, and that at one point, Kelly Osbourne was being considered for the part. She recalled that a Canadian hairstylist helped her create goth-inspired looks on Hollywood Boulevard so she could send visuals showing how convincingly she could embody Janis.

Once she eventually landed the role, Caplan said she felt an overwhelming sense of excitement. She remembered exactly where she was when she received the call confirming she had been cast, telling Entertainment Weekly that the moment stood out as a rare instance in her career when she felt pure, unfiltered joy.

Caplan also shared memories of her time filming in Toronto, where she and the cast lived in a hotel for roughly three months—an experience she compared to a college dorm environment. The actress noted that working on Mean Girls helped fulfill her longing for the campus life she had missed while pursuing acting full time. She spent much of her downtime with co-stars Daniel Franzese and Jonathan Bennett, whom she remembers exploring Toronto with during breaks from production.