Rachel McAdams gets candid about casting twist in 'Mean Girls'

Regina George, a character Rachel McAdams played in Mean Girls, became an iconic role in pop culture.

But the actress now reveals she did not originally audition for it. Instead, it was for Cady Heron, the film’s leading character.

“I remember thinking, ‘This is a futile exercise. I will never be hired for Cady," she tells People, adding that her career had just started, making her uncertain whether she would get a role in Mean Girls.

“I was just starting out, and it was the main character," the star notes. "I just did not think I was at that point in my life where I would be chosen for that. So I just kind of went in and had fun.”

But the 47-year-old says she was eager to star in Mean Girls because Tina Fey had written it.

“I loved the script so much. I remember closing that script and calling up my manager and saying, 'Please, even just playing a character that has one line I would take.'”

Then the ultimate twist came.

Mark Waters, the director behind Mean Girls, offered McAdams another role, Regina George. “You’re too old to play Cady, but you’re just right for Regina,” she recalls his words.

“Regina has been around the block a few times and maybe has a, I don't know if I'd call her an old soul, but she's got a few more miles on her than Cady. So I took it as a compliment.”

Playing Regina, eventually, proved a success for McAdams, as she describes, “Playing the villain is the best."

In the meantime, Send Help, the actress's latest film, is playing in theatres.