Although Courtney Shayne might be the ultimate onscreen mean girl, Rose McGowan was a fierce girl’s girl behind the scenes.
More than 25 years after playing Brenda in Jawbreaker (1999), Tatyana Ali called McGowan “a real one” and reminisced about the actress standing up for her against an on-set bully while making the Darren Stein-helmed cult classic teen film.
“I was the only one actually in high school when we shot this, and I dealt with a little bullying on set from one actress in particular,” wrote Ali on Instagram. “But one day, she tried it in front of everybody… and @rosemcgowan told her to stfu in front of everybody! I will always love her for that!”
McGowan commented on the post, “I’d do it again,” noting that Ali has the “[forever] combo” of “dignity, brains and beauty.”
Written and directed by Stein, Jawbreaker starred McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart and Julie Benz as a group of popular teenage girls whose birthday prank on their best friend Liz (Charlotte Ayanna) turns fatal. When the school outcast Fern (Judy Greer) overhears their plans to cover up the death, they give her a makeover in exchange for her silence.
Gayheart and Stein appeared Saturday at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood for a rooftop screening of the film, hosted by LA Explained. Although McGowan was not in attendance, she wrote a letter to the fans that was read aloud before the screening.
“I believe only an LA native could have made Jawbreaker. Darren Stein, take a bow,” wrote McGowan. “Jawbreaker, being both savage and hilarious, daring and fun, and by twisting the very straightness out of teenage movies, Jawbreaker has stood the test of time, infiltrating American culture and beyond. There has never been a more perfect film to describe what LA means to those of us who were created there. When Courtney says, ‘suck it and see or get the f— out,’ I think it applies to those who don’t get LA’s weird magic. Enjoy, darlings! Now go strut your stuff like everything is peachy f—ing keen.”
