18 Actors Who Played Mean Girls But Are Actually Super Nice In Real Life

From Rachel McAdams to Kristen Bell!

A wise woman (Tina Fey) once said it takes a smart person to play a dumb character, and a sweetheart to play a mean girl. With that in mind, here are 25 actors who played fictional biatches despite reportedly being really nice IRL!

1. Dianna Agron

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Despite playing resident William McKinley High School mean girl Quinn Fabray in Glee, Dianna's fellow New Directioners regularly praise her for being the sweetest member of the cast! Rumoured to be quite a private person in real life, Dianna tends to shy away from the spotlight outside of her acting and prefers to share what she's listening to or watching on her Instagram.

2. Rachel McAdams

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We all know Rachel as evil incarnate Regina George from Mean Girls, but critics and colleagues alike have lauded Rachel for her sunny, positive, and principled demeanour off screen. Diane Keaton reported such a good experience working with her to director Woody Allen that he wrote a part especially for her in his film Midnight in Paris.

3. Emilia Clarke

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Daenerys certainly morphed into a megalomaniac over the course of eight seasons of Game of Thrones, but IRL Emilia's reported to be a total sweetheart with a banging sense of humour! She bakes for her fellow cast and crew members, and she has great relationships with her co-stars. Nathalie Emmanuel recently said to Vogue that Emilia even stuck up for her on the set of GOT when a male actor made inappropriate comments about her costume. What a shero!

4. Naya Rivera

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Naya's character in Glee, Santana Lopez, may have been memorable, but she was far from nice! However, in the wake of her Naya's passing last month, several of her co-stars paid tribute to a woman who "inspired and uplifted people without even trying". Jake Zyrus – who played Sunshine Corazon on the show – described his first encounter with her, saying "she's very nice; she just knew all about me... it made me feel so good!"

5. Brittany Snow

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Do you remember Brittany's heinous character in Hairspray? Well, in reality she's nothing like Amber Von Tussle! Co-star Michelle Pfeiffer has said she fell in love with Brittany when they first met, and that she adores her! Brittany also supports numerous charities, and is the co-founder of the Love is Louder movement, a project by the Jed Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to stopping bullying in schools.

6. Julie Gonzalo

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In the early 2000s, it felt like Julie was sort of the go-to mean girl with her appearances in both Freaky Friday and A Cinderella Story as the bitchy arch nemesis to Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff respectively. But in every interview she does, she seems humble and sweet! Julie has even said that she and Jamie Lee Curtis really bonded during the filming of Christmas with the Kranks – "she wanted to be with me, and I was flattered and amazed."

7. Gabrielle Union

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Gabrielle gave us attitude for dayyyys in 10 Things I Hate About You, but anyone who's anyone knows that she's an actual sweetheart in real life. She's been celebrating her co stars and the black women who inspire her for years with her #WomenCrushWednesday posts, and she's also bravely called out racism in the entertainment industry. Gabrielle is also an activist and an outspoken advocate for survivors of assault.

8. Jennifer Coolidge

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We all know Jennifer THRIVES when she's given a nasty character to play up to, but the A Cinderella Story star is far from the evil, narcissistic stepmother she plays in that movie. Co-star Hilary Duff has said they were close on set, and colleague Rose Byrne loves her, describing her as a national treasure! Even Ariana Grande is a fan, calling Jennifer her new best friend after they collaborated on the music video for "thank u, next".

9. Leighton Meester

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Gossip Girl grand high bitch Blair Waldorf was everyone's favourite mean girl back in late 2000s, but how close to character was Leighton really? Well, by all accounts not much at all! Penn Badgely has admitted she was a lot of fun to work with, and co-star Taran Killam has called her a fast friend! She is also a prolific volunteer, and is involved in several charitable organisations including Feeding America and Many Hopes.

10. Ashley Tisdale

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Ashley played one of the most iconic bratty high-school characters of all time, Sharpay Evans, in all three of the High School Musical movies. Unlike her character, however, she's very down to earth! Ashley herself says that Sharpay is the complete opposite of her, and co-stars Vanessa Hudgens and Patricia Heaton seem to agree she is really a very sweet person.

11. Michelle Yeoh

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Screen legend Michelle may have been able to serve us super strict mother the house down boots in Crazy Rich Asians, but off the set she's reported to be "warm", "wonderful" and "funny", at least according to director Paul Feig. Henry Golding is also a big fan of hers and the pair regularly have dinner together! Jackie Chan has maintained a firm friendship Michelle over the years and has said he truly cherishes every moment they have to see each other; he even wrote about her in his memoir!

12. Anna Kendrick

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Remember when Anna was in Twilight? She played fake af Jessica Stanley but in reality, Anna is a real as they come! Co stars are always gushing over her – Ester Dean called Anna so witty and her dream celebrity best friend, Aubrey Plaza has said they were all over each other on the set of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and Justin Timberlake has commented how fun it was to work specifically with Anna on their movie Trolls!

13. Sarah Michelle Gellar

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Sarah took the movie bitch archetype to new heights as Kathryn Merteuil in Cruel Intentions, but co-stars including Michelle Trachtenberg and Ryan Phillippe have reported she's nothing like the bitchy characters she plays on screen. Longtime friends Sarah, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair even reunited to see the Cruel Intentions musical together!

14. Jane Lynch

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You might know Jane from her unforgettable portrayal of the unscrupulous Sue Sylvester in Glee, but don't get it twisted, Jane couldn't be more lovely in real life! I mean, you don't get an entire cast giving you a tribute like this unless you're pretty damn likeable! Co-stars Jane and Jennifer Coolidge have even remained friends since starring together in Best in Show back in 2000.

15. Shay Mitchell

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Before she met her untimely end in You, Shay's character Peach was a certifiable snob and a lowkey biatch, but it's certainly not hard to believe that Shay is nothing like that! In fact, her Pretty Little Liars co-stars Ashley Benson and Troian Bellisario are still her good friends, and describe Shay as a super friend, a super philanthropist, and a super mom. Pretty Little Liars series creator, Marlene King, wished Shay a happy birthday this year, adding "Congratulations on becoming a woman so many admire and look up to. Keep inspiring us."

16. Judy Greer

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Judy has played some pretty morally dubious characters before, from Kitty Sanchez in Arrested Development to Lucy "Tom-Tom" Wyman in 13 Going on 30, but the woman behind these outrageous caricatures is actually super sweet! Frequent collaborator Nat Faxon has called her frighteningly easy to work with, and she and her co-star Jennifer Garner are legit BFFs! Judy even gave a super wholesome speech when Jennifer got her star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

17. Kristen Bell

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If you've watched Burlesque before, you've seen Kristen doing her five alarm bitch routine as Xtina's embattled nemesis, Nikki. In real life, however, Kristen is an all-round perfect and highly relatable human being! Her co-stars all love her, plus, she calls sick children and leaves them messages as her character from Frozen, and she once put up Josh Gad’s family when they needed shelter from Hurricane Irma!

18. Meryl Streep

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Last, but by no means least, is Meryl, who of course played the demanding, ill-tempered Miranda Priestly in iconic 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada. Capable of making interns tremble with fear and throwing her own friends under the bus, Meryl bears next to no resemblance to Miranda! You only have to watch one of these many video compilations to see how many of her colleagues adore her. Plus, she waits in line at the Apple store like everyone else and is humble af!

Is there anybody that I overlooked? Shout them out in the comments below!

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