What Happened To Janis After 'Mean Girls'?

Publish date: 2024-08-14

Tina Fey’s Mean Girls ultimately launched several actresses into Hollywood stars. For instance, it was the film that showed off Lindsay Lohan’s acting chops, leading to roles in films such as I Know Who Killed Me, Bobby, and Liz & Dick. Meanwhile, Rachel McAdams went on to star in several hit movies, including The Notebook and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) 2016 film Doctor Strange. As for Amanda Seyfried, she went on to become an Oscar-nominated actress following her performance in the film adaptation of Les Misérables. The actress also became known for films such as Mamma Mia! and Dear John.

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On the other hand, fans are also wondering what happened to the actors portraying some of the other iconic roles in the film. These include Lizzy Caplan who memorably played Janis. Since Mean Girls, Caplan has been busy pursuing non-teen drama roles. In fact, fans may be surprised to learn everything the actress has been up to over the years.

Lizzy Caplan Struggled To Land Roles After Mean Girls

Just like other actors may have experience, Caplan also struggled to book roles after playing a goth girl on the hit teen drama. “I remember after Mean Girls I didn’t work again for a long time,” the actress recalled while speaking with Independent. “For like a year, I couldn’t get a job.” Eventually, Caplan decided to take matters into her own hands. “The next thing I did, I straight up dyed my hair blonde and got a spray tan,” she revealed. Soon after, Caplan booked a role in the short-lived WB series Related.

The actress proceeded to book a role in the Emmy-nominated CBS comedy The Class. Sadly, the show also got canceled after just one season. Meanwhile, Caplan later got cast in the hit series True Blood. And while the show may have been a great opportunity for the actress, it posed a unique challenge since it was the first time that Caplan had to go nude. “I remember all the many hours of pep talks required of my friends, like, ‘Tell me that my body doesn’t look weird,’” the actress recalled during an interview with Rolling Stone. “I walked into my dressing room, and where your clothes are hanging on a rack was just one pair of underwear.” In the end, she got through the scene with several swigs of vodka.

Lizzy Caplan Pursued Film Projects Too

As starred in various series, Caplan also booked a role in Matt Reeves’ 2008 horror sci-fi Cloverfield, which was also produced by Star Trek’s J.J. Abrams. Oddly enough, the actress was made to think that the film would be a romantic comedy initially. “The scenes that they gave us for the first part of the audition were just in the party scene, so it was like 'We've gotta get this place ready for a party!'” Caplan told Movie Web. “It was totally lame.”

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Later on, however, Caplan came to realize that the film was anything but a romantic comedy. “It was just like Matt and J.J. going crazy, spinning around like tops. 'The monster is coming your way and you're going to be running this way and they're gonna be running this way and...' so it's kind of hard not to get excited because they're screaming and running around like little kids,” she recalled. “It was very grueling and rewarding and rough and fun and brutal and exhausting, all at once.”

Just a few years later, Caplan also starred in the sci-fi comedy Hot Tub Time Machine with John Cusack and Craig Robinson. She would also go on to star in films such as the Oscar-nominated 127 Hours, Save the Date, Bachelorette, The Night Before, The Interview, and Now You See Me 2. And while she was booking so many projects, Caplan also knew she wanted more. She just wasn’t sure if that was possible.

For Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex Came In The ‘Nick Of Time’

Unbeknownst to many, Caplan struggled to land the roles she wanted throughout her career. The experience can be truly disheartening, so much so that the actress wanted to quit at one point. “Aiming for the stars becomes a bit soul-crushing after you’re told ‘no’ for the thousandth time,” the actress explained. “I didn’t want to be continually rejected. I was right at the doorway of believing I couldn’t do anything else when this came around.”

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But then, Masters of Sex came along. “It was right in the nick of time,” Caplan even remarked. Essentially, the actress’ reps sent her the script, unsure if she would be interested to play renowned sexologist Virginia Johnson. “I think they were pretty sure that I wouldn’t respond to it because I was gravitating pretty much exclusively to comedy, and an hour-long TV show set in a hospital is just not usually my thing,” the actress told Collider. “But, I read it and instantly fell in love with it, and instantly fell in love with the character.”

Caplan would go on to earn an Emmy nod for Masters of Sex. Later on, the actress would also receive critical praise for her performance in the Emmy-nominated series Castle Rock. It may have taken some time, but Caplan has found her footing now.

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