Amanda Seyfried Says Paramount Still Owes Her Money for ‘Mean Girls’

Almost 20 years after Mean Girls became an iconic movie, actress Amanda Seyfried opens up about not receiving payment for merchandise featuring her likeness.

In Variety’s Actor on Actors series, where Seyfried talked to Adam Brody, the Emmy-nominated star of The Shape of Water and Mamma Mia! talks about the 2004 film Mean Girls. Now, at the age of 39, Seyfried has not watched the movie again, although she has not forgotten it either.

“No, I haven’t,” the actress answers when Brody asks her if she has seen Mean Girls again. “It’s on often enough, though. And you know what? I love it. I really love seeing my face on people’s T-shirts.”

And here comes her honest confession: “I mean, I’m a little resentful because Paramount still owes me some money,” the actress says.

Brody asks her whether she means money from t-shirts, and Seyfried clarifies: “The likeness. Every store sells Mean Girls T-shirts with our faces on, photographs. And I’m like, don’t I? Is it ’cause I was 17 and dumb or is it just that, you know what I mean?”

It is unclear whether Seyfried is referring to not receiving payment or to a problem with the terms of the contract she signed back then. The actress was about 17 when she starred in Mean Girls with Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Lacey Chabert.

Although she made this comment about the merchandise, Seyfried still loves the movie very much. “But I love it,” she says, admitting she still appreciates its popularity.

Written by Tina Fey and produced in 2004, Mean Girls became one of the most famous teen comedies of all time, giving rise to memes, the Mean Girls Day celebration, a Broadway musical, and a musical movie adaptation set for 2024.