With the remake of one of Hollywood’s most popular teen comedies of the 2000s, rising actress Renee Rapp has been thrust into the limelight. Mean Girls (2004), which turned 20 in 2024, had audiences in nostalgia with the release of Renee Rapp’s musical comedy remake. In Mean Girls (2024), Renee Rapp is cast as the iconic Regina George, the movie’s main antagonist.
While the 2024 Mean Girls movie made no adjustment to the original story, its new cast performances received positive reviews from most critics. Although the 24-year-old actress may be a new face to many movie audiences, Renee Rapp has had an active acting career for a while now. Here’s more on the life and career of Renee Rapp.
Renee Rapp’s Early Life
Renee Rapp was born in Huntersville, North Carolina, on January 10, 2000. Right from when she was little, Rapp loved to perform and sing. She walked around the house as though she knew she was always destined to be a star. Rapp would sing at every opportunity, whether it was Christmas, in the bathroom, or just random walks around the house. Renee Rapp spent a significant part of her early years in Huntersville, attending Hopewell High School. With a growing love for arts, Rapp later transferred to an art magnet school, Northwest School of the Arts, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
She Began Acting in High School
Before transferring to Northwest School of the Arts, Renee Rapp had already made an impression with her acting performance at the school’s theater program. Rapp displayed a unique set of talents amongst her peers, combining her vocal ability and acting prowess. It was part of the feedback she received that convinced her mom to transfer her to the art magnet school in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Renee Rapp’s Stage Career
Renee Rapp also impressed her teachers with her on-stage performance at Northwest School of the Arts. She starred in several of the school’s plays. Unsurprisingly, when the school was casting for the production of Big Fish musical, Rapp was chosen to play Sandra Bloom. Her performance impressed her teachers, and Rapp was also listed among the nominees for the Blumey Awards. The Blumey Awards was a local award in Charlotte, North Carolina, that honors talents in musical theater among high school students. At 18, Renee Rapp won Best Actress at the Blumey Awards in 2018.
Rapp’s stage performances began to get more recognition. With her local Blumey Awards win, her performance soon put her in the spotlight nationally. Rapp beat forty other actors to clinch the win for Best Performance by an Actress at the Jimmy Awards. Also known as the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Jimmy Awards honors High School musical theater performances. The award is held annually and seeks to honor two students by awarding the Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. Besides the honor of winning the prestigious musical theater award, Renee Rapp also took home the $10,000 winning prize.
The Mean Girls Movie Isn’t the First Time Renee Rapp Has Played Regina George
The 2024 Mean Girls movie, besides being based on the 2004 original film, was also adapted from the Broadway musical of the same name. The Mean Girls play premiered on October 31, 2017, at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. It moved to Broadway in early 2018, previewing at the August Wilson Theatre, before officially opening. The musical play later began its U.S. National Tour in 2019. Sometime in 2019, Renee Rapp was cast to play Regina George in the play. It was the first time Rapp played the character before reprising the role in the 2024 musical film. Renee Rapp played Regina George from 2019 to sometime in 2020. About two years later, on December 9, 2022, Renee Rapp was announced as the actress to play Regina George in the remake movie.
Television Roles Renee Rapp Has Starred In
Although Renee Rapp has spent most of her acting career as a stage actress, she has had two notable on-screen roles. Mean Girls (2024) may have been her feature film acting debut, but it isn’t her first on-screen appearance. Rapp made her on-screen debut in 2021, starring as Leighton Murray on the HBO Max teen comedy-drama The Sex Lives of College Girls. In the Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble-created series, Rapp’s character was introduced as a wealthy freshman and legacy student at the fictional Essex College in Vermont. With the show’s season 2 finale aired on December 15, 2022, The Sex Lives of College Girls was renewed for a third season in December 2022. Both released seasons have enjoyed super-high ratings from critics and audiences.
Renee Rapp’s Musical Career
Besides having a successful acting career, Renee Rapp also pursued an active musical career. Part of her success in musical plays has long been attributed to her remarkable singing talents. Renee Rapp released her first EP album, Everything to Everyone, on November 11, 2022. The EP peaked at number 47 on Billboard magazine’s Top Album Sales chart. The following year, Rapp released her debut studio album, Snow Angel, on August 18, 2023.
Snow Angel peaked at number 44 on the US chart and at number 7 on the UK chart. It also debuted on the Australian and German charts. She went on tour for both her EP and studio album. Renee Rapp also contributed to the Mean Girls (2024) soundtrack. On the Mean Girls soundtrack album, Rapp sang “Not My Fault,” featuring American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Although Mean Girls (2024) could potentially be her on-screen breakout, Renee Rapp recently revealed that she’s more focused on pushing her musical career than acting.
