“Good thing they didn't”: Mean Girls directors claiming they wanted Harry Styles to play Glen Coco divides the internet

Harry Styles, the English singer and actor, was almost part of the musical comedy movie Mean Girls, which premiered on January 12, 2024. Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., directors of the musical remake of the 2004 comedy, revealed that they had Styles in mind for the role of Glen Coco, originally played by David Reale.

In the first Mean Girls movie, Glen was a minor character, a student at North Shore High School who was in the same class as the protagonist, Cady Heron. Perez and Jayne opened up in an interview published by The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, January 13, 2024, a day after the film’s opening. They said that they considered Harry for the role, and Parez revealed,

“Who can it be? I remember us going, could we ask, like Harry Styles?”

Netizens' reactions to the almost-cameo have been varied. Some fans were in support of the directors' envisioned choice, while others thought it was appropriate not to cast the pop icon.

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Harry Styles was considered for a role in 2024 Mean Girls

Mean Girls is a classic 2004 comedy that follows a new student, Cady Heron, and an elite group of popular girls called the Plastics. She also has two friends, Janis Ian and Damian Hubbard, who help her along the way.

In the reboot of the original movie, Mean Girls 2024, a musical comedy, new actors were assigned to play the iconic roles. As it turns out, one of the roles could have been played by Watermelon Sugar singer Harry Styles. According to Billboard, the singer and actor was envisioned for the character of Glen Coco.

Although Glen Coco did not have any lines, a popular line from Damian made him a fan favorite. In a famous Mean Girls scene, Damian dresses up as Santa and gives out candy cane-grams to the class, as per IMDb. The quote states,

"Four for you, Glen Coco, you go, Glen Coco! And none for Gretchen Weiners. Bye."

Known for being a source of encouragement and instilling confidence on a bad day, this iconic line from Damian has placed Glen Coco's character at the center of popular culture for many years.

The directors of the movie, Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., revealed that they considered Styles in the Hollywood Reporter interview published on Saturday. When the topic of conversation turned to memorable lines and comedic moments from the original movie, Jayne said,

“There are certain iconic lines where we would joke that there would be riots in the streets if it wasn’t in there. Like ‘You go, Glen Coco!’ Give the people what they want. Give me what I want! But when we were like, ‘Who’s Glen Coco?'"

Perez stated that both of them thought Harry Styles would be a great fit for the role. However, Jayne added,

"We were like Harry Styles could be Glen Coco! Then we were like, hold on, we love to break the fourth wall: What if we are all Glen Coco? So, after 20 years, we can all feel like Glen Coco."

In the 2004 movie, the scene cuts to the actor David Reale, who receives the candy cane-grams as Glen. However, in a THR editor’s note, the 2024 reboot crew explained that the line is delivered straight to the camera or audience to break the fourth wall, as per NME.

Some netizens were pleased that Harry did not make a cameo in the movie.

However, others believed the pop singer would've been a great addition to the musical.

The 2024 rendition of Mean Girls is based on the Broadway musical adaptation of the 2004 Tina Fey-penned film, which starred Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, as per IMDb. This remake features Reneé Rapp as Regina George and Angourie Rice as Cady Heron.

Harry Styles has dipped his toes in acting projects over the years, including roles in Dunkirk (2017), Don't Worry Darling (2022), My Policeman (2022), and more, as per Page Six.