Actress Avantika Vandanapu, who is best known for starring in the Disney Channel Original Movie Spin and the comedy film Senior Year, now headlines the reboot of the beloved classic Mean Girls. The musical teen comedy film directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. in their feature film directorial debut features the 18-year-old in the role of Karen Shetty.
Talking to a publication recently, Avantika shared how “liberating” her Mean Girls role was, and how it allowed her to defy the stereotypes that South Asians are often associated with.
“It really is kind of very antithetical to what I feel like we’ve seen South Asians play in Hollywood,” she said. “It just felt really liberating to be able to embrace a character that was so unlike what we’ve stereotyped Indian people — Indian women especially.”
The actress continued and said that she was “empowered” by the role and hoped it would inspire other Indian women to pursue roles outside of the stereotype.
“I think it really helps showcase that this facet of our community exists. I feel really empowered to be able to take on that. I hope that it will inspire a new generation of Indian girls to aspire they can truly play out a wide variety of characters if they want to be actors rather than feeling like they have to play the doctor or the nurse of the taxi driver.”
In addition to Avantika, Mean Girls also stars Christopher Briney, Bebe Wood, Jaquel Spivey, Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, and Auliʻi Cravalho, among others.
The film released in cinemas today January 12.
Liam Neeson photographed during a public appearance before the debate grew. Getty Images 
