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Tina Fey talks working with Lindsay Lohan again in new “Mean Girls”
Twenty years after the original “Mean Girls” movie charmed audiences, its newest iteration, “Mean Girls: The Musical,” has debuted at No. 1 at the weekend box office. This latest film, a blend of the original 2004 hit and the Broadway musical adaptation, marks a return for the franchise.
Tina Fey, the creative force behind the original screenplay and Broadway show, reprises her role as Ms. Norbury, the math teacher.
Another person returning to the movie was Lindsey Lohan, who was the star of the 2004 hit film. Fey said that Lohan, despite being seven months pregnant and residing in Dubai, was eager to be part of the new project. Her involvement was kept a secret, adding an element of surprise for the audience.
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“The original movie is really Lindsay’s movie, you know? She’s just luminous through it,” said Fey. ” I thought if she was gonna do anything, I thought it might be nice to have her come kind of late in the movie when you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t think,’ you’ve so much forgotten that you’re looking for cameos.”
Fey said that adapting the story to 2024 involved updating certain elements while retaining the essence of the original. By transforming it into a musical, Fey said she wanted to bring the standout songs from the Broadway show into the movie she wrote more than 20 years ago.
“So, I mean, it was kind of — it’s a real gift to get to go back to something that you wrote and, and reopen it and clean the gums,” Fey said.
Fey was also involved in the editing process for the new movie, something different from her time making the first film, where she was a first-time screenwriter and less involved in the post-production process.
With its blend of nostalgia and contemporary flair, Fey is excited to see how the audience receives “Mean Girls: The Musical.”
“We knew that, you know, the Broadway show brought so much joy to so many people and we only closed because the pandemic came,” she said. “And I just knew there was more joy to be had and I wanted more people to experience this. I felt like there was nothing but joy to be had on the other side of this.”
Return to the Golden Globes?
When asked about a potential comeback to co-host the Golden Globes with Amy Poehler, Fey said she enjoys working with Poehler but did not confirm any plans for the duo to return as hosts.
Fey said the role of being host is “thankless” after many people criticized first-time Golden Globes host Jo Koy on his performance during the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards.
“He did great. Like it’s, it’s also so thankless because it’s like either there’s only two ways it goes, either people say like, great, do it again. Or they go, we didn’t like it and there’s no in-between,” Fey said.
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Koy referred to the short amount of time he had to prepare for the show during his opening monologue — something that Fey also agreed with.
“You don’t get a lot of time. It’s a tough room, you know, if they don’t know you and the other thing about it is you, you don’t get to practice it. You are doing your jokes in a vacuum. You don’t get a dress rehearsal,” she said.
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Washington — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the White House next week, in what could be his last visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue before President Biden leaves office.
The two leaders will meet on Thursday. Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Zelenskyy separately as well, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“The leaders will discuss the state of the war between Russia and Ukraine, including Ukraine’s strategic planning and U.S. support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “The president and vice president will emphasize their unshakeable commitment to stand with Ukraine until it prevails in this war.”
The meeting comes as Ukraine has pushed U.S. officials and NATO allies to lift restrictions on Kyiv’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles against targets in Russian territory. Zelenskyy discussed the matter with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a meeting last week. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the firing of long-range missiles into Russia would represent a major escalation of NATO’s involvement in the war, which has dragged on for two and a half years.
Zelenskyy has been appreciative of Mr. Biden’s support for Ukraine and in rallying other nations to support Kyiv over the course of the war. Harris has pledged to continue that support.
“I’m looking forward to hosting my friend President Zelenskyy of Ukraine next week at the White House,” Mr. Biden posted on X. “During his visit, I’ll reaffirm America’s commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends its freedom and independence.”
The next week is heavy on foreign policy for Mr. Biden. Over the weekend, he will host the Quad Leaders Summit — composed of the leaders of Australia, India and Japan — at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. That summit will focus on their shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The president is also attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, where Zelenskyy is likewise slated to speak.
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Scarlett Johansson on bringing Avengers-style physicality to voicing Elita-1 in “Transformers One”
Scarlett Johansson says she’s embracing the similarities between herself and the character of Elita-1 in her latest role in Transformers One. The Oscar-nominated actress voices a fierce leader of the Autobots in her role.
The role was tailor-made for Johansson after director Josh Cooley reached out to her personally and he said he could hear her voice in the role.
“It was a surprise to me,” she said. “It was such a great script. It had such cinematic qualities. It has so much heart. This film has so much heart. It really has amazing messaging in there, and it’s really funny, too.”
Johansson said physical demands of voice acting, particularly for action-packed scenes, are just as intense to some of her other action film roles. Johansson compared the experience to her decade-long work as Black Widow in “The Avengers” films, where intense physicality was essential.
“You’re squatting and punching and running in place … it’s just really very physical, but it brings the action to life,” she said.
When asked if she sees any similarities between herself and Elita-1, Johansson smiled.
“She’s very driven, she has a healthy ambition. She believes in her ability. She has all of these qualities that make a leader,” she said. “She’s a little bit of a control freak, which I may or may not know something about.”
“Transformers One,” distributed by Paramount Pictures, which is part of CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global, will be in theaters on Friday.
