Tina Fey Wants Ariana Grande to Join 'Mean Girls' Musical
By Jennifer Fabiano
A few months ago, Ariana Grande paid tribute to four iconic movies from her childhood: 13 Going on 30, Bring It On, Legally Blonde, and, of course, Mean Girls.
Like she sings in "7 Rings," “Ain’t no budget when I’m on set,” and she definitely didn’t spare any expense for the "Thank U, Next" music video. Ari recreated the famous "Jingle Bell Rock" performance from Mean Girls, cast Kris Jenner as the iconic Mrs. George, and even brought back the real Aaron Samuels to remind us all how sexy his hair looks when pushed back.
The tribute was so iconic that it has even the Mean Girls creators calling for Ariana to not stop at just one music video. They're calling for the singer to appear in the musical.
“I'm not crazy about stunt casting, but she's allowed to be stunt-cast in the musical anytime she wants,” Tina Fey, who wrote the book for the Mean Girls musical as well the screenplay for the 2004 film, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Call us, Ari.”
Fey’s husband and creative partner, Jeff Richmond, is also completely on board with an Ariana appearance.
“I agree,” Richmond said. “Ariana is always more than welcome.”
The musical, which first hit stage in Oct. 2017, currently features Taylor Louderman as the Queen Bee of North Shore High School, but Fey would happily welcome Ari into the position.
"She made a great Regina. I was so honored," Fey said. "It's a wonderful feeling to know the movie meant so much to her and that she's keeping it alive for a younger generation."
The gig wouldn’t be completely out of the question for Ari, who is no stranger to the stage. A 15-year-old Ariana made her Broadway debut in 2008 as part of the cast in Jason Robert Brown’s 13. A few years ago, she appeared in Hairspray! Live as Penny Pingleton. Then, in 2018, she was part of NBC’s concert production of Wicked, where she performed one of Elphaba’s songs.
While we would all love to see Ariana bring to life the role of Regina George on stage, we know it won't be happening anytime soon. With a new album dropping Friday, and the Sweetener World Tour kicking off next month, the pop star is about to have a very busy 2019.