Reneé Rapp Reveals Toxic ‘Mean Girls’ Musical Staff
This was revealed by Reneé Rapp, whose debut album “Snow Angel” was released last week, in an interview with The Guardian that her mental health suffered while working on the musical Mean Girls in New York City at the age of 19.
Rapp also had an eating disorder at the time, which was made worse by people on production “telling me some disgusting things about my body.”
In addition to her eating disorder, Rapp has also been diagnosed with a mood disorder, but has made strides in overcoming the eating disorder.
“Eating disorders don’t just go away and say you’re cured, like, ‘Sorry, I can eat again, ha ha!’ It’s a lifelong thing,” she said. “There are struggles with addiction and whatever, everywhere. I’m still struggling with this but at least my parents know I was taken out of environments that were really detrimental to my illness which is awesome and a huge win. Worrying as hell, but chilling I guess.”
Prior to the release of Snow Angel, which sounds like a cross between Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish’s work, Rapp starred in Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble’s The Sex Lives of College Girls as Leighton, a closeted lesbian whose storyline is coming out to her roommates for the first two seasons. Rapp also spoke about her struggle to come out as bisexual.
“My generation and the generation that will follow me is much more open – especially women, non-men, queer people. I believe I’ve been given more opportunities than women before me, men and queer women before me,” she said. “This generation is still very mean to each other. But we are more open – and care less about it.”
Rapp announced her departure from the Max show in early July, which has been renewed for a third season to fully focus on her music career, and she posted a tribute to her time on the show on social media.
“College girls took me to LA and introduced me to some of my favorite people,” she wrote. “A lot of queer work is belittled – but playing Leighton changed my life. I love the person I am ten times more than I did before I knew her. … It’s such a small part of representation, but even the tiny parts count.”
