The Sign Rachel McAdams Isn't Close With The Mean Girls Cast Now

In retrospect, 2004 was a banner year for Canadian actor Rachel McAdams, who gifted us with her starring roles in both "The Notebook" and "Mean Girls" (although she initially auditioned for a different role). Though Allie Hamilton remains an iconic figure in rom-com lore, it's McAdams' take on Queen Bee Regina George that has stuck with us for two decades. The beloved movie offers a satirical POV on high school culture and social cliques, but McAdams and the rest of the cast all got along IRL. 

"I was in awe of [Lindsay Lohan's] talent," the Canadian actor gushed to Allure in 2014 (via E! News). "I looked at her as this experienced actor, and she had great comedic timing, so natural." Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert (who played fellow Plastics Karen Smith and Gretchen Weiners respectively) also developed a close friendship on set. In a 2022 interview with Marie Claire, Seyfried recalled hanging out in Chabert's trailer and collaborating to organize a Friendsgiving dinner for the cast.

But were they all really friends? In 2014, reports surfaced that Lohan was intimidated by McAdams on set. Likewise, several of the original cast members — including Lohan, Seyfried, and Chabert — reunited for Walmart's Black Friday sale in 2023, while the "Notebook" star was noticeably absent. The commercial didn't feel right without Regina George, because what is North Shore without its queen? We can't help but wonder whether McAdams is writing off the rest of the "Mean Girls" cast.

Rachel McAdams' reasoning for opting out of the commercial hints that she's even more removed from the "Mean Girls" cast than we initially thought. As the actor revealed to Variety, she wasn't pumped about appearing in an advertisement for Walmart in the first place. "A movie sounded awesome, but I've never done commercials, and it just didn't feel like my bag," McAdams reasoned. But things may have been different if she'd heard about it from her former castmates first. 

"I didn't know that everyone was doing it," the "Game Night" star admitted. "I would, of course, always love to be part of a 'Mean Girls' reunion and hang with my plastics, but yeah, I found that out later." Reading between the lines: If McAdams didn't know everyone else was involved, she must not talk to them that often, right? However, the star has expressed interest in future "Mean Girls" projects. 

"It would be fun to play Regina George later in her life and see where life took her," McAdams shared during the 2020 Heroes of Health: COVID-19 Stream-a-thon (via People). Notably, this was after Lindsay Lohan's appearance on "Lights Out with David Spade," during which she also expressed interest in a sequel predominantly because it would offer the opportunity to reunite with everybody again.

Rachel McAdams may not be in her "Mean Girls" era, but the rest of the cast seems to be as close as they were in their North Shore days — maybe even closer. For Lindsay Lohan, who has weathered some rocky moments in her career since then, it was especially meaningful to be involved with everyone in the Walmart commercial. "It was so nice being back together after all these years," the "Falling for Christmas" star gushed to People. "It was great catching up with everyone." Lacey Chabert echoed her former castmate, confirming, "It was wonderful to spend the day with Amanda [Seyfried] and Lindsay and it was so much fun getting to reminisce and be together again." 

While their former leader is apparently out of the loop, the rest of the Plastics continue to talk about how they can make "Mean Girls" fetch again. "I would kill just to do one week, all of us playing our own roles on 'Mean Girls' on Broadway," Seyfried informed Lohan, in 2022, during a chat for Interview magazine. Naturally, her co-star enthusiastically agreed. 

Whether or not that ever happens, Seyfried went on to say that she's grateful for the bond everyone formed during the original film, noting, "We're all part of each other's worlds [...] and it is really nice to be in contact as adults." Is she excluding anyone here? Since McAdams also seems to be on board with a sequel, it might be time for these ladies to talk.