Amanda Seyfried’s Iconic Role in the Beloved Classic ‘Mean Girls’ Almost Went To Another Actress: Blake Lively.

In a recent interview, actress Amanda Seyfried divulged that Blake Lively was almost cast in the iconic role of Karen Smith from Mean Girls.

As reported in The Hollywood Reporter, Seyfried initially read for the coveted role of Regina George while Lively auditioned to portray Karen.

“I’d flown out to L.A. for the first time with my mother. It was very exciting. I met Lacey Chabert for the first time, and Lindsay Lohan was in the room, and Blake Lively was playing Karen, and then I was Regina.”

Lohan had already grabbed the part of Cady Heron, while Chabert earned the role of Gretchen Weiners. According to Seyfriend, she was expecting a straightforward answer from the producers. Astonishingly, they called her instead telling her that although she wouldn’t get Regina’s character; Karen suited her perfectly!

Seyfried is immensely proud of Karen; a character who remains unfailingly genuine. She comprehends why the audience can relate to her and believes that it’s part of what makes the character so amusingly inadvertent: her transparency.

“I think the reason we love Karen so much — and also the reason that she’s so funny — is that she is just being brutally honest, and it’s so beautiful, and it’s what makes her so endearing,”

Although Karen may not be the most clever character, Seyfield noted that she has an astute self-awareness and a genuine sincerity that balances out her lack of wit. She stated:

“She’s not that smart, but she totally knows it. And everything that she reacts to is just her truth, her true reaction. And I think we all love people like that because we can trust them.”

Karen serves as a balancing force for the aggression of Regina, Cady’s manipulation tactics, and Gretchen’s anxiousness. Seyfried believes her capacity to sympathize with her friends compensates for her lack of remorseful thoughtlessness.

“She’s the person with the biggest heart. She truly believes that the best idea would be to go to Taco Bell and that her secret is that she is psychic and has a sports channel. How could you not fall in love with somebody who fully believes that they have ESPN?”

Karen stands apart from the other members of The Plastics due to her innocent and kindhearted nature. While Karen’s peers are consumed with exploiting others, she is not interested in such activities. Additionally, during the infamous four-way call between Regina, Cady, Damien and herself it becomes evident that while Karen may be considered the most attractive member of their clique by Regina and Cady – but unlike Regina has no awareness or intention of using this as a way to manipulate people around her due to her humility.

Dive into the iconic world of Mean Girls, now streaming on Paramount Plus!