Tina Fey Says She and Tim Meadows Reprised “Mean Girls ”Roles 'as Long as We Don't Have to Sing' (Exclusive)
Fey and Meadows portray Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall in the new and original 'Mean Girls' films
Jojo Whilden/Paramount (2)
Tina Fey, Tim MeadowsTina Fey says she and Tim Meadows had one stipulation about reprising their Mean Girls roles in the new movie musical adaptation.
In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, Fey, 53, reveals that she and Meadows, 62, agreed to bring their respective roles of Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall back to the big screen, so long as they didn't have to sing in the new film, which is a reimagining based on the 2018 Broadway musical of the same name.
"I am reprising my role as Ms. Norbury because we thought, well, teachers work for a long time. So it might make sense if Tim and I did it," she says. "So I called Tim and I was like, 'Will you do it? I'll do it if you do it.' And we said yes, as long as we don't have to sing."
"It was fun. It's been nice to see Tim," Fey adds of Meadows — who previously reprised his role in the 2011 ABC Family original TV movie Mean Girls 2, which Fey was not affiliated with. "One of us has aged — the other one of us is Tim Meadows! But it's been really nice to get to work with Tim again."
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Paramount Pictures
'Mean Girls' poster.The new Mean Girls film comes almost 20 years after Fey's original movie premiered in theaters in April 2004.
The original Mean Girls starred Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert. Lohan, 37, portrayed Cady, a high school student who moves to the United States from Africa.
She is then introduced to the complexities of high school's social hierarchies when she meets teen queen bees Karen Smith (Seyfried), Gretchen Wieners (Chabert), and their leader, Regina George (McAdams) — with the trio known as The Plastics.
The new movie musical stars Angourie Rice as Cady, Renée Rapp as Regina (reprising her Broadway role), Anantika as Karen and Bebe Wood as Gretchen.
Theo Wargo/Getty; Gary Gershoff/WireImage
Tina Fey, Tim Meadows.Related: How to Watch Mean Girls, Including Where It Will Be Available to Stream
On finding an updated group of stars for the new adaptation, Fey tells PEOPLE, "Bringing together a cast of actors is one of my favorite parts of the process, whether it's in film, television, or stage."
"I love getting a chance to be a part of it," she continues. "And I'm so thrilled about this cast that has come together for the new Mean Girls."
"They're all so incredibly charismatic," Fey adds of the cast, which also includes Jon Hamm as Coach Carr, Jenna Fischer as Cady's mom, Jaquel Spivey as Damian, Auli'i Cravalho as Janis and Busy Philipps as Regina's mom.
The new Mean Girls is currently playing in theaters.
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