Spoilers for the movie Mean Girls and the musical ahead . Four for you, Harry Styles — there you go, Harry Styles. In a January 16 interview with The Hollywood Reporter , Mean Girls musical directors Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne revealed that the One Direction star The actor was close to playing Glen Coco in the 2024 film.
When asked how they decided which jokes from the 2004 film to keep in the new adaptation, Jayne said there were "certain comedies" that were funny at the time but "wouldn't work today." However, Damien successfully advanced by gifting four candy canes to Glen Coco (but not to Gretchen Wieners).
"There were some iconic lines and we would joke that without it there would be riots in the streets," she said. “It’s like, ‘You go away, Glenn Coco!’ Give the people what they want. Give me what I want!”
They did just that, and considered bringing in Styles for a brief cameo in a non-speaking role. "I remember we went, can we be like Harry Styles and ask?" Perez said, with Jayne adding, "We were like Harry Styles could be Glenn Coco! "
why it didn't succeed
Ultimately, Jayne and Perez went in different directions and Styles was not approached about the role. Instead of throwing four candy canes at Glen Coco like in the original film, Damien, who is played in the 2024 film directed by Jaquel Spivey, Look directly into the camera and speak your lines as if you are talking to the audience.
"We were like, wait a minute, we love breaking the fourth wall: What if we're all Glenn Coco?" Jayne said. "So, 20 years from now, we can all feel like Glen Coco."
The true story of Glenn Coco
David Reale, who played Glenn Coco in the 2004 film, explained in a 2014 interview with Dazed that he got the role by simply showing up on the film set to hang out with friends and eat free food. "I actually auditioned for another role in the movie. I didn't get it," he said. "I wasn't 'officially' in the movie at all - my first day was my only day."
Director Mark Waters saw him on the set, remembered his audition, and decided to write him a letter on the spot. "I just sat in my chair and tried not to stare at Lindsay Lohan," he said.
In 2014, writer Tina Fey revealed that Glen Coco was inspired by a real person, but his name was actually spelled differently. "I try to use my real name in my writing because it's easier," she told Entertainment Weekly. "My brother's good friend was Glenn Koko. He was a film editor in Los Angeles, and I think it was a painful thing for him."
