INDIANAPOLIS — You still can't sit with us.
That's the tagline in the 2024 movie musical remake of "Mean Girls."
Based on the 2004 film and 2018 Broadway musical, a naïve, homeschooled teenager (Angourie Rice) moves from Africa to the United States, where she attends high school and befriends two outcasts (Jaquel Spivey and Auli'i Cravalho) and plans to infiltrate a popular clique of popular girls (Reneé Rapp, Bebe Wood and Avantika).
"Off the bat, there's some singing and some dance numbers," said Tony winner Spivey ("A Strange Loop"), who plays Damian Hubbard in the new film. "These characters are familiar, this story is familiar, but it is not the same."
In the 2004 film, Damian is played by Daniel Franzese and is instantly known for his forever-quotable lines "you go, Glen Coco" and "she doesn't even go here!" Then, Grey Henson got nominated for a Tony Award for his performance of the character in the Broadway musical.
"I got encouragement, and I think that's the best thing you can get from one artist to another, is the encouragement to take this character and fly," Spivey said of speaking with Franzese and Henson prior to taking on the role.
And what's so special about this modern take on the beloved film is additional representation for people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.
"Damian was the only plus-size queer person I had," Spivey said. "To be able to step into this project as a Black man and bring that to Damian, and to bring a new level of queerness to this project ... I think Damian is allowed to be as loud as he wants to be. There's no sneaker thrown at his face this time. There's just a freedom that I hope other people can feel seen in."
"Mean Girls" is now available to rent or buy on all digital platforms.