Ross Mathews Almost Played Damian in ‘Mean Girls’ — Here's Why He Didn't Get the Role
The character behind one of the most iconic lines in Mean Girls almost had a very different face.
Ross Mathews — the RuPaul’s Drag Race judge — revealed on the April 1 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show that Tina Fey had him in mind when she wrote the role of Damian in the 2004 film.
Mathews said he’d “never told anyone this” before and waited more than two decades to finally reveal the secret.
How Ross Mathews Almost Ended Up in ‘Mean Girls’
The reveal came during a game of Moss or Ross with guest Elizabeth Moss. Drew Barrymore was given a fact and had to guess whether it applied to Mathews or Moss.
The clue: “I auditioned to be in Mean Girls.” Barrymore guessed Moss. She was wrong.
“Back in 2002-ish, 2003? I was just on The Tonight Show and I got a call saying, ‘Will you audition for this movie for a kid in high school?’ And I was like, ‘I’m too old,’” Mathews told Barrymore.
He would have been around 23 or 24 years old at the time.
“And they said, ‘Tina Fey kind of had you in mind when she wrote the part of Damian,’” he continued.
Why Ross Mathews Didn’t Get the ‘Mean Girls’ Role
Despite learning the screenwriter herself had envisioned him for the part, Mathews didn’t nail the audition.
“I was terrible and didn’t get it,” he said on the show. “It’s a great movie. It’s iconic, and I can’t believe I was there at the beginning a little bit.”
The role, instead, went to Daniel Franzese, who delivered one of the film’s most iconic lines: “She doesn’t even go here!”
In Mean Girls, Damian is the best friend of Janis Ian, played by Lizzy Caplan.
He and Janis are among Cady Heron’s (Lindsay Lohan) first friends at North Shore High School. They guide Cady through the school’s social landscape and recruit her into their plan to take down Regina George and the Plastics.
Who Is Damian From ‘Mean Girls’ Based On?
Fey based many of the Mean Girls characters on real people when writing the screenplay. Damian, for example, was inspired by Damian Holbrook — a senior writer at TV Guide — and his brother, Jim Holbrook.
Damian and Fey were friends growing up. They met at Summer Stage when he was 13, according to Billy Penn at WHYY.
“The movie version is far more me and the musical version is far more my brother,” the real Damian told the outlet in 2023. “He’s a show tunes fan, very flamboyant, very funny, and literally can drop a show tune lyric into any conversation.”
“It’s almost like my superpower,” he added of the character. “I may not have had a huge impact on the world, but this character has definitely made an impression. He’s been embraced by people.”
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
