Mean Girls OG Jonathan Bennett has said he would love to reprise his role, but that his character wouldn’t need to be queer just because he is.
Appearing on the I’ve Never Said This Before podcast, the gay actor said that in any sequel Aaron Samuels would be straight. In the 2004 film, Aaron was the love interest of Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, and Regina George (Rachel McAdams).
In the years since the film’s release, all the leading men have come out publicly as gay. Bennett did so in 2017, three years after Daniel Franzese, who played “too-gay-to-function” Damian. Then, in 2018, it was Rajiv Surendra’s turn.
“I think Aaron would be straight because I wouldn’t want to change the narrative of Aaron Samuels because Jonathan Bennett is gay,” the actor said. “You would keep the narrative of Aaron Samuels because that’s the story.”
His desire to return for a sequel was shared by “99 per cent of the cast,” he added.
‘I wouldn’t want to change the narrative of Aaron Samuels’
“I don’t think there’s been an actual conversation between us that I can remember. But, in the group chat, do we want to do it? Yes. It’s just, we did that movie 22 years ago, so… everyone grows up.
“We were kids shooting this movie. Then you grow up and get your lives. We would love to bring the band back together, it’s just way above my pay grade. That’s a [writer] Tina Fey question.”
Bennett teased his own ideas for his character’s future, saying Aaron would have become a teacher.
“Why don’t we just do the movie everyone wants? We all come back, I’m a teacher at the school, the girls are grown up [and] have their own kids, and now their daughters are coming to school. That’s the storyline. It’s not rocket science.”
Since the original film, a new version of Mean Girls has been released. In last year’s movie musical, which also featured Reneé Rapp, Angourie Rice and Avantika, the torch of Aaron passed to The Summer I Turned Pretty star Christopher Briney.
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