‘Mean Girls’ Movie Musical Is ‘Definitely Different’

Booked and busy. Reneé Rapp is currently filming the movie adaptation of Broadway’s Mean Girls musical and recording her debut album amid the success of her debut EP, Everything to Everyone.

“It is very hectic,” the Sex Lives of College Girls star, 23, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of her performance at Cap’n Crunch’s 60th birthday party in Palm Springs earlier this month. “I’m trying to find a work/life balance. I don’t [have one] at present, and I probably won’t for a while. But I’m trying to be an EGOT, so I’m tired — but it’s all good.”

Rapp played Regina George in the Broadway musical at age 19, and she’s reprising the role four years later. She told Us that she immediately lost her script — accidentally — but she knows exactly how she wants to play the part. “It’s just in my body. I know how it feels. I know how to do it in the way that I like to do it,” the North Carolina native said. “I mean, it’s obviously different now cause I’m, I’m 23 as opposed to being 19 and 20, and I think I’m better at my job now than I was when I was a kid. I also have, like, a much a stronger sense of self at the moment than I did when I was 19.”

She’s not the only one that evolved. The “Too Well” songstress said that much like how the 2018 Broadway musical adapted to include the prevalence of social media, which was in its infancy when the movie was released in 2004, the movie musical will also make some updates.

“A lot of it is different. Tina [Fey] is such a creative genius and such a creative freak, and her partner, Jeff Richmond, who does all of the music, is as well. So there’s definitely different things,” Rapp hinted. “There might be different songs. Some songs that are in the musical version might be in the movie or might not be.”

She continued: “But [Fey and Richmond] are so creative, and I really appreciate that they really try to work with young people and people that are of the current culture and what’s happening as opposed to being like, ‘We are going to do exactly what we think we’re gonna do.’ They’re very collaborative and really amazing. So some things are different, some things are the same.”

When she isn’t on set, she’s working on her music. She lists “In the Kitchen” as her favorite song from her February EP. The track is an emotional song about a breakup, and many of her songs pull at the heartstrings. However, she hasn’t heard from anyone who inspired the heartbreak hits — for good reason.

“I have a very amazing mother and father who really, really, really just raised me to, like, be a very strong individual when it comes to, like, if someone doesn’t treat me with respect,” she explained. “It’s no bad blood, but I’m always gonna look out for myself. So I actually don’t really talk to people that hurt my feelings. Not in a mean way. Just in a way of, like, I really like the people in my life and I like the people that respect me and love me and take the time to talk to me and be there for me. And if they do hurt me, then they fix it. So I don’t think anybody who I’ve written songs about really falls under that category, not that they’ve shown me.”

Rapp played a couple of her songs at Cap’n Crunch’s 60th birthday at the Margaritaville Resort in Palm Springs on Saturday, April 15. Attendees also enjoyed an all-vinyl DJ set from DJ Pee .Wee (a.k.a. Anderson .Paak) and scored exclusive merch celebrating the breakfast icon’s milestone.

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The “Colorado” singer described herself as a “ginormous” fan of the cereal and the Cap’n himself. “He raised me and I feel like — being that I’m a boat person — I feel like we really are on the same wave with that. Like, if he pulled up on the ocean and was like, ‘Hey, by the way, would you like to hop on and ride?’ I’d be down. Put me in,” Rapp joked. “[The performance is] really fun because I just feel like it’s very campy, and it’s me and Anderson .Paak and the Cap’n.”