Mean Girls: The Actor Who Almost Played Aaron Samuels Before Jonathan Bennett

Mark Waters' 2004 teen comedy classic "Mean Girls" largely focuses on female characters, but it doesn't forget that every high school movie worth its salt also needs a romantic interest. Jonathan Bennett aptly fills this role as Aaron Samuels, who used to date the film's antagonist — Plastics queen bee Regina George (Rachel McAdams) — and becomes involved with Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) to predictably chaotic but ultimately heartwarming results.  

Bennett plays Aaron well, but did you know that another actor was in the running to get the gig? According to Daniel Franzese, who plays Damian Leigh in the movie, the actor in question was none other than James Franco. "James Franco was considered for the role of Aaron Samuels," Franzese said in an interview with Cosmopolitan, quoting information he says he got from Lohan. "I thought that was so cool — Bennett was great but that would have been cool." 

Of course, considering the later controversies surrounding James Franco regarding instances of alleged inappropriate behavior, it's up for debate if "Mean Girls" would be the beloved cultural touchstone it is today had he been involved.

The casting history of Aaron Samuels is surprisingly colorful. Apart from "127 Hours" and "The Disaster Artist" star James Franco nearly being up for the role, "Mean Girls" director Mark Waters noted in an interview with Cosmopolitan that the part originally went to a mystery actor who unfortunately fumbled the table reads so badly that producer Lorne Michaels ordered drastic measures. 

"He'd had a great audition but came to the table read, sat with his nose in the script and mumbled the whole way through," Waters said. "By the time it was over, Lorne came over to me and said, 'That's a shame, we're going to have to go with that other guy.'" The other guy, of course, was Jonathan Bennett, who went on to deliver a great performance.

Tina Fey, who wrote the screenplay and plays Ms. Norbury, has also confirmed the firing story for the Independent. "Yeah," she said. "Someone got fired." Although it's unlikely that this was James Franco, who was only ever considered for but never auditioned in the role, the removed actor was reportedly a recognizable name. In his Cosmopolitan interview, Daniel Franzese shared, "I don't want to embarrass him, I'm afraid. He has worked consistently, he's a good guy ... but, yeah, he is somebody who you would've known."