Interview with Mean Girls star Taylor Louderman

Taylor Louderman is a current Tony Award nominee in the category of "Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical"... and Queen Bee of Broadway to boot! Starring in the coveted role of Regina George in the hit Broadway musical Mean Girls at the August Wilson Theatre, her career has been catapulted to new heights... but, whatever, she's getting cheese fries! (OK - I promise no more Mean Girls references).

Ms. Louderman has lived and performed in a number of areas of the United States. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she has also made stops in Chicago, Illinois, Bourbon, Missouri, and the University of Michigan. She was bitten by the acting bug at the tender age of 10, winning the title role in a regional production of Annie in Rolla, Missouri. She continued her career in the St. Louis region, most notably at The Muny in productions such as Beauty and the Beast, Footloose, and as Margot in Legally Blonde, until her breakthrough came as she landed the lead role of Campbell in the National Tour of Bring It On The Musical in 2011. The production would transfer to Broadway's St James Theatre in 2012 and mark Ms. Louderman's Broadway debut. Following starring appearances as Sandy Dumbrowski in Grease at both the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey and at The Muny in 2014, she gained national exposure after being cast as Wendy Darling in NBC's televised musical "Peter Pan Live!" opposite Christopher Walken as Captain Hook. After playing Amber Von Tussle in the 2015 Muny production of Hairspray, she returned to New York City and made her off-Broadway debut in Gigantic at Theatre Row. Her last appearance at The Muny was in the starring role of Amneris in the 2016 production of Aida.

In January 2017, Ms. Louderman would return to the Great White Way and assume the role of Lauren in Kinky Boots. She remained with the production until August and departed to prepare for the pre-Broadway tryout of Mean Girls at Washington, D.C.'s National Theatre. The world premiere production opened on October 31, 2017, with the Broadway transfer beginning previews on March 12 and officially opening to rave reviews on April 8, 2018.

We recently caught up with the leader of "The Plastics" to find out how life is treating her since Regina George and how exactly she turns on the mean for each performance...

Have the Mean Girls officially taken over Broadway, Taylor?

We're taking over!!!!!! No, we're really excited. The Broadway community has been so amazing and so supportive. We're so grateful to be here.

And it's not the first time we've seen you on stage. But how does this Tony-nominated, starring role compare to your past credits?

Oh my gosh! It just doesn't compare! I never thought I'd play the "mean" role. I hadn't ever done something like that before. So it's fun to get to do that and, of course, it's a dream come true to get a Tony nomination. I can't complain!

So how do you get into character to play such a mean person like Regina?

(Laughs) Oh my gosh, good question!... I had to really work on my confidence and I had to be much kinder to myself than I've ever been. My confidence as Taylor is not nearly as high as the confidence of Regina George. There's a lot of inner dialogue going on!

And I'm guessing that fast-becoming iconic entrance of "The Plastics" helps you get into character too?

Oh yes, definitely! Those power poses definitely do. We're standing and posing on that table as it wheels out. It's such an amazing entrance.

So, Broadway dominance is in full-swing. Have you heard any plans for an international take-over? Maybe a West End premiere in London?

Oh, not that I know of. But I'm sure everyone would love that... me included!

Mean Girls Tickets are available now for performances through to March 31, 2019.