Stars of London's 'Mean Girls' musical say it's fun to be mean on stage

(21 Jun 2024)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
London - 19 June 2024
1. Performance clip - "Where Do You Belong?" Cast of Mean Girls
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Charlie Burns and Georgina Castle, actors - on the movie:
Burns: "I don't remember a time where I didn't know the movie. I really don't."
Castle: "Exactly that. I mean, how old were you when it came out? You'd have been so young."
Burns: "I would have been like four or something."
Castle: "Four. So, you'd have probably seen it - I was only 11 as well. Yeah. So, I can't remember a time when I haven't been quoting it or just knowing it."
Burns: "I know, yeah."
Castle: "But my parents hadn't seen it, so I got them both very drunk when we found out that I got the part. We watched it for the first time all together. Yeah, they loved it."
3. Performance clip - "Meet The Plastics" Cast of Mean Girls
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Charlie Burns and Georgina Castle, actors - on the story standing the test of time:
Burns: "That is part of the reason why the movie is so popular and so beloved to this day, after what was it? 20 years?"
Castle: "Yeah."
Burns: "Because it's universal. It's honest. Right? It's honest. Like we've all been mean, we've all done really embarrassing things and liked people we shouldn't like. You know, and it's just nice to watch that. It's comforting, you know."
Castle: "And I think the way that Tina (Fey - writer) sort of humanises all of them, even the characters that are doing bad things, is amazing. They're fully like fleshed out people that you can recognize. And I think you can recognize yourself in all of them. A little bit. But like Cadie isn't wholly good, she still gets influenced and Karen isn't wholly stupid. She has a lot of really like, lovely, profound, smart moments. Yeah."
Burns: "And you're not wholly bad."
Castle: "I'm not wholly bad. Or am I?"
5. Performance clip - "Meet The Plastics" Cast of Mean Girls
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Charlie Burns and Georgina Castle, actors - on fans wanting Georgina to be mean in real life:
(Reporter: "After watching the play, if anybody meets you, they are going to be so surprised about how nice you are. Honestly, because I only saw you the first time on stage and now I'm like 'Oh my gosh, she's so nice.'")
Castle: "It's so funny. Sometimes people are quite disappointed in the sense that they're like, 'Oh, why are you so smiley?' They want you to be the Regina that they have seen on stage or seen from before. But no, I'm more goofy than bitchy."
Burns: "You really are."
7. Performance clip - "Apex Predator" Cast of Mean Girls
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Charlie Burns and Georgina Castle, actors - on meeting Tina Fey:
Castle: "She sort of just walks around with this aura around her. She's also such a beautiful lady. I was really, like, taken aback."
Burns: "And she's so quiet and polite and professional and you just kind of - you knew everyone around her kind of wanted to gush over her, but everyone was being very respectful because she was as well. But yeah, she's been so involved in the process. She's really been wanting to get the humor right for a U.K. audience. There's been a lot of seeing if things land and then her taking them away and being completely unpretentious about it and going, 'Okay, let's find a new joke,' which is just amazing."
Castle: "Exactly. There's always another punchline. It's like she has 50 at her disposal at any one minute. They just come to her so fast. It's been amazing to sort of see her work like that and work with her."
9. Performance clip - "Apex Predator" Cast of Mean Girls
(Reporter: "Is it fun to be mean on the stage?")
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