The Cast of 'Mean Girls' Almost Looked So Different! See Who Auditioned & For What Roles Before Everything Was Finalized

James Franco could have played Aaron Samuels…

Jonathan Bennett is perfect as Aaron Samuels, the dreamboat and love interest in the movie. However, Lindsay could have been telling James Franco that he looked sexy with his hair pushed back.

“Lindsay recently told me that… James Franco was considered for the role of Aaron Samuels,” Daniel told Cosmopolitan back in 2014. “I thought that was so cool.”

Tina has previously revealed that the first choice to play Aaron was fired, leading Jonathan to be brought in at the last minute (via Independent).

Ashley Tisdale auditioned to play Gretchen…

Casting director Marci Liroff told Cosmopolitan that they had a “difficult time casting Gretchen Weiners” during an interview in 2019.

“I kept reading young actresses for the role, Ashley Tisdale auditioned for that part but didn’t come down to the finals,” he added. “There was a certain type of desperation for Gretchen, that you really felt for her. The original book was Queen Bees and Wannabes and she so wanted to be a mean girl and be part of the crowd yet kept getting put down. Finally Lacey [Chabert] came in and just got it on the very first take.”

In a recent interview, Ashley said that she was actually in the running to play Karen and recalled the experience.

“I just remember I ad-libbed, ’cause I always like in an audition to steal the scene, and I ad-libbed one line, and they put in the movie,” she said. “And I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

“I should’ve gotten a writer’s credit,” she continued, joking. “I’m kidding, yes, but I was like, ‘Dang!’”