Tina Fey Wrote This Iconic ‘Mean Girls’ Role for Ross Mathews — But He Didn’t Get It
In a world of alternate casting decisions, one of the most beloved characters in early 2000s comedy almost looked very different.
Ross Mathews, now widely known as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, recently revealed that Tina Fey had him in mind when she wrote the role of Damian in the 2004 hit film Mean Girls.
That role, as fans of the film know, ultimately went to Daniel Franzese. So, what happened?
A Secret Kept for Over 20 Years
The surprise revelation came during the April 1 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.
Mathews was participating in a game called Moss or Ross alongside guest Elizabeth Moss, where Drew Barrymore was given a fact and had to guess which of them it applied to.
The clue read, “I auditioned to be in Mean Girls,” and Barrymore guessed Moss — the wrong answer.
“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.
Mathews 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 — adding that he has “never told anyone this” before.
An Audition That Didn’t Go as Planned
Despite initial hesitation about his age, Mathews did end up auditioning for the part. By his own admission, it did not go well.
“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 ultimately went to Franzese, who would go on to deliver one of the most iconic lines in the movie: “She doesn’t even go here!”
In the film, Damian is the best friend of Janis Ian, played by Lizzy Caplan. He serves as one of Cady Heron’s (Lindsay Lohan) first friends at North Shore High School.
Together, he and Janis are the ones who initially guide Cady through the social landscape of the school and recruit her into their scheme to take down Regina George and the Plastics.
The character resonated deeply with audiences and became one of the most quoted figures from the movie — a testament to both the writing and Franzese’s performance.
The Real Damian Behind the Character
When writing the screenplay, Fey based a lot of the characters in the movie on real people. Damian, for example, was based on Damian Holbrook — a senior writer at TV Guide — and his brother, Jim.
Holbrook 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,” Holbrook 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.”
Holbrook has expressed appreciation for the lasting cultural impact of the character inspired by his life.
“It’s almost like my superpower,” he said 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.”
While Mathews never got to deliver those famous Damian one-liners on screen, the fact that Fey wrote the part with him in mind adds a fascinating layer to the movie’s origin story.
For fans of both Mean Girls and Mathews, this behind-the-scenes tidbit — hidden for more than two decades — is a reminder that Hollywood history is full of surprising almost-was moments.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
