If the current adaptation of Imply Women—itself an adaptation of Imply Women: The Musical, which was an adaptation of Imply Women—is “not your mother’s Mean Girls,” then its breakout star is not your mom’s triple-threat Hollywood ingenue. Gone are the times of Disney Channel starlet turned pop star—listed below are the times of theater nerd turned TV actress turned singer-songwriter pop star darling turned film star turned voice of a era! Maybe I’m getting forward of myself, however sorry, I don’t actually assume I’m. As a result of whereas that maternal assertion from the Imply Women trailer might have been practically incomprehensible, the brand new film itself made two issues utterly clear: (1) Sure, it truly is a musical, and (2) sure, you’ll be strolling out of the theater with an irrevocable crush on Reneé Rapp.
This can be very arduous to be attractive whereas singing present tunes, and even perhaps tougher to take action in a mesh shirt that has been original to appear to be a corset however just isn’t, in reality, a corset. However Rapp’s Regina George is attractive; she’s as charming as a Regina George sort must be, as compelling as a likable villain should be; she’s doing a lyrical lip curl the likes of which we haven’t seen since Elvis (or no less than since Austin Butler as Elvis); and so help Reneé Rapp, her Regina George is queer.
Strolling away from Imply Women, I felt the complete weight of a scene from the unique Imply Women when Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron notices her incessant rambling about Regina George: “I used to be a lady possessed. I spent about 80 p.c of my time speaking about Regina—and the opposite 20 p.c of the time, I used to be praying for different individuals to deliver her up so I might speak about her extra.” Besides I knew I’d be fulfilling my Reneé Rapp quota at one hundred pc. “I might hear individuals becoming bored with me, however I couldn’t cease!” Besides I knew they wouldn’t get bored—not as soon as I made them watch that video of Rapp with Megan Thee Stallion, and that video of her on Late Night With Seth Meyers, and that video of her tearing a misogynist named Buddy to shreds, and that video of her singing “Snow Angel” sitting down, and that video of her being a PR nightmare, and that video of her singing “World Burn” whereas I screamed, “No, however she’s 19 on this!!!”
Me and my home? We’ve been possessed. And we’ve been referring to Twitter’s latest It Woman completely as “2018 Jimmy Award Winner Reneé Rapp” for half a decade.
And I need to be very clear: I’m completely by no means on the leading edge. I’m far too lazy to be that cool. Nevertheless, once I hear one thing akin to “Wait, Leighton from Intercourse Lives With Faculty Women can sing?” I’m compelled to drag my beanie somewhat tighter, make my Doc Martens somewhat looser, and do the Gen Z equal of explaining Impartial Milk Lodge—which is, I assume, explaining that I first heard Reneé Rapp sing in a Vine (RIP Vine) doing a Bryson Tiller riff when she was in highschool in 2016. Which is, after all, to say: “Don’t cite the deep magic to me, witch. I was there when it was written.”
And but I can not, in good conscience, gatekeep Reneé Rapp. Initially, she’s not mine to gatekeep. I’m already an intruder. After I attended Reneé’s Snow Exhausting Emotions Tour in Washington, D.C., just a few months in the past, my pal and I made a decision to play a ingesting recreation wherein we took a sip each time we noticed one other particular person our age … on the finish of that evening, I might have parallel parked a Miata with a damaged gearshift on black ice. Not a drink was drunk, and never a millennial was noticed. However a stunning younger lady did educate me how you can use the .5 zoom characteristic on my iPhone and in the end took the very best candid picture of me on report. (I need to guarantee different millennials that “OK, now do a loopy one” remains to be alive and nicely, except, after all, that younger lady was making enjoyable of me, which is considered one of Gen Z’s many items: never-ending and probably very hurtful ambiguity.)
Second of all, the star is out of the bag at this level. The brand new Imply Women is colourful, enjoyable, and kind of the CW model of camp. (Is it completely vital? Possibly not. Most likely not.) Its forged is stuffed with up-and-coming multi-hyphenates like Auli’i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Avantika, and extra, and even amongst all that expertise, Rapp shines by just like the highlight that follows Regina George by a highschool occasion in ”Someone Gets Hurt.”
And the central message of this film musical adaptation is that calling another person dumb received’t make you any smarter, and calling another person ugly received’t make you any prettier. However I’m virtually optimistic that getting Rapp’s haircut and signature big pants might. So for anybody much less educated about this icon who has in all probability been seeing much more Rapp on their For You pages not too long ago, let’s get to know this era’s Regina George and see whether or not it make us any cooler:
Reneé Rapp Is … a Wunderkind
They stated it couldn’t be finished—however Rapp is a cool theater child. She might belong to the Spotify streets now (6.3 million month-to-month listeners and counting), however the whole motive I used to be forward of the curve on Rapp was as a result of I am a considerably reformed former theater child who nonetheless follows the Jimmy Awards each single 12 months to really feel alive (OK, I’m not in any respect reformed).
What are the Jimmy Awards, you, a non–theater child, ask? Effectively, they’re the nation’s preeminent nationwide highschool theater awards. (OK, they’re the nation’s solely nationwide highschool theater awards.) Qualifying teenagers journey to New York Metropolis every year to carry out, compete, and presumably convene at any variety of IHOPs for the after-party. The Jimmys are mainly the Tonys for teenagers, and in 2018, Rapp sang “All Falls Down” from Chaplin and took dwelling Finest Efficiency by an Actress—wildly, the identical 12 months fellow wunderkind Andrew Barth Feldman received Finest Efficiency by an Actor—and the remainder is literal Broadway child historical past …
Reneé Rapp Is … a Performer
As a result of on that very same weekend in New York Metropolis, 2018 Jimmy Award winner Reneé Rapp additionally sang a fast line from Imply Women’ “I’d Slightly Be Me” within the award present’s opening medley—and rather less than a 12 months later, it was introduced that she could be taking on the function of Regina George from musical theater veteran Taylor Louderman within the Broadway adaptation. Headlining a Broadway musical on the age of 19—it’s giving future Tony Award winner Reneé Rapp. (Not for nothing, Rapp has spoken candidly about how difficult her time in Mean Girls was for her psychological well being and physique picture, making the superb performances evening after evening all of the extra exceptional.)
Reneé Rapp Is … an Actor
In lieu of going to school, Rapp moved to New York Metropolis to virtually instantly develop into a Broadway star. After which in lieu of taking a break when the COVID-19 pandemic reduce that journey brief, she simply went forward and pivoted to taking part in a university scholar on TV within the deeply bizarre but additionally tremendous enjoyable Intercourse Lives of Faculty Women, which premiered in November 2021. SLOCG is a kind of Undeclared-meets-Clueless ensemble comedy created by Mindy Kaling wherein Rapp performs Leighton, a stuck-up New York Metropolis wealthy child with a hidden coronary heart of gold who additionally occurs to be coming into her personal as a lesbian, one hilarious hookup (and occasional look-alike girlfriend) at a time.
Tragically, within the actual second once I lastly turned comfy with Rapp as an ideal comedic actress who doesn’t use her good singing voice in any respect, she introduced that she could be solely a semi-recurring character within the present’s third season to proceed pursuing her pop music profession. (Oh yeah, she’d been casually doing that, too.) There’ll probably be many sacrifices made on the highway to Rapp’s EGOT, however proper now, none harm worse than the lack of Leighton.
Reneé Rapp Is … a Singer
And chances are you’ll say, “However Reneé! You have been on a preferred, critically acclaimed present! Why go away?” Effectively, as a result of in 2023 Reneé additionally adopted up a beloved EP and sold-out first tour together with her much more standard and critically acclaimed debut album, Snow Angel, which turned the most important solo debut album for a feminine artist in 2023. And which some would possibly additionally name the world’s greatest bisexual zillennial album named after a great-grandmother whose funeral Reneé considers her first big performance …
Reneé Rapp Is … a Lyricist
Snow Angel and its ensuing Snow Exhausting Emotions Tour are the rationale that I—an extraordinarily grown lady—am now the proud proprietor of a child tee with the phrases “GOOD TITS BIG HEART” printed throughout the chest. As a result of actually, how is a lady (lady) supposed to withstand that on the merch stand? Or resist screaming it on the high of her lungs when Rapp, sporting simply the most important, sexiest pants you’ve ever seen, sings, “I simply need some recognition for having good tits and an enormous coronary heart.”
Reneé Rapp Is … a Triple Risk
And simply when it appeared like we might by no means see Rapp on-screen once more—to be clear, it’s been barely over a 12 months for the reason that final episode of SLOCG aired, which is just too lengthy—we got the full-circle reward of Rapp singing, dancing, and performing within the film adaptation of the musical adaptation of the film Imply Women. Her identify is Reneé Rapp, and she or he is a large deal, and her first characteristic movie simply introduced in a grool $33.2 million on the field workplace over its opening weekend. Altogether, Rapp starred within the film, cowrote considered one of its new unique songs, and sang on its finish credit tune with the Black Regina George, Megan Thee Stallion.
Can a homosexual lady—and future Academy Award winner Reneé Rapp—get an amen? (Amen!)
Reneé Rapp Is … MOTHER
Rapp is somewhat bit scary, fiercely protecting of her buddies and her group, extraordinarily sizzling, and queer. Mainly, she is mom. And at no level was that extra evident than when she instantly launched into protection mode to guard Drew Barrymore from a stalker who was approaching the stage throughout a chat on the 92nd Avenue Y.
It was a scary second, but additionally a heartwarming one, and Barrymore later praised Rapp for going full Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard for her: “Effectively, I’ve a brand new definition of your sexiness, it’s that stage of protectiveness.” Once more, I say: MOTHER.
Reneé Rapp Is … a Menace
However to Rapp, I additionally say: MENACE! We’re now assembly her within the current day, as she meets the lots on a Imply Women press tour that one would possibly name … a publicist’s nightmare? A fan’s daydream? An ideal mushroom cloud of chaos?!
To be clear, that is customary follow. This Imply Women press tour follows a barely smaller however simply as chaotic speak present tour for Snow Angel whereby Rapp made positive to tell Seth Meyers that she meant offense to the outdated white males of Boston, if and once they have been offended by her tune “I Hate Boston.” (Personally, I had the good privilege of starting up to now an individual from Boston proper once I went to my first Rapp live performance, and if he had responded with something lower than glowing reward to the six particular person movies I despatched him of Rapp singing “I Hate Boston,” then I’d have instantly damaged up with him. That is the facility of being a Rapp fan. We imply offense.)
And hey, some individuals actually deserve it! Why shouldn’t extra stars use their press junket platforms to name out misogynistic bus tour firm homeowners like this man named Buddy, whom Rapp utterly and unpromptedly dressed down in entrance of her very shy however amused costar Christopher Briney throughout a random interview for Imply Women: “If you happen to’re watching this, I can’t stand you. I hope your small business BURNS. You’re so disrespectful, and so misogynistic … yeah, fuck you, Buddy!”
I’m blissful #MeanGirls THE MUSICAL MOVIE was made as a result of, if it hadn’t been, we’d be lacking out on Reneé Rapp completely *obliterating* this bus tour firm proprietor named Buddy. pic.twitter.com/ruVk2cS9Bk
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) January 12, 2024
Nevertheless, Rapp has now picked a a lot scarier enemy than some man named Buddy or the lads of Boston. This lady walked onto the battlefield that’s Watch What Occurs Stay With Andy Cohen and, in that quintessentially Gen Z means, winkingly referred to as herself an ageist whereas additionally saying Karen Huger is her favourite Housewife, whereas additionally saying she fears getting older sooner or later, whereas additionally laughing her ass off in entrance of Gizelle Bryant, who was completely by no means in on the joke.
Taking over Bravo followers is hard territory. However Rapp isn’t petrified of public notion. Her no. 1 targets—past singing, performing, and slaying—are fact, humor, and having a killer haircut. And clearly, she simply left the salon.
Reneé Rapp Is … Not Making Enjoyable of You, Olds, She’s Simply Like That!
Actually, she’s similar to that!
Reneé Rapp Is … a Future EGOT Winner
Per week after the discharge of Imply Women, Rapp is about to be the musical visitor on SNL alongside fellow zillennial icon Jacob Elordi. She was additionally simply introduced as a performer at Coachella, which she responded to by tweeting that she used to do medicine at Coachella—after which instantly and completely significantly recanting that assertion, presumably with a report label govt looming over her shoulder …
it is a joke after all it’s a joke it’s such a joke what a foolish joke
— RMJ (@reneerapp) January 17, 2024
And even when it’s not what she’s specializing in proper now, she all the time has her roles as a Broadway powerhouse, an on-screen dynamo, and a chat present terror in her again pocket. Now everybody’s simply getting up to the mark. See you on the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, the Tonys, Reneé. To quote the woman herself: “If the shoe suits, lace that bitch up and run.”