Angourie Rice Dishes on That Major “Mean Girls” Cameo: 'Such a Rare Experience' (Exclusive)

'Mean Girls' is in theaters now

NOTE: The following contains spoilers for the new Mean Girls movie musical, in theaters now.

Twenty years later, Lindsay Lohan is back in the world of Mean Girls!

The actress, now 37 and a self-proclaimed "cool mom" in real life, makes a surprise cameo in the new musical reimagining of the 2004 comedy, in which she originated the Cady Heron role.

In the new film, directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. and again written by Tina Fey, Lohan pops up as the moderator of the climactic math competition that Cady (this time played by Angourie Rice) helps North Shore High to win.

Rice, the Australian actress from The Last Thing He Told Me and Mare of Easttown, tells PEOPLE why sharing screen time with Lohan "meant so much to me."

"It is such a rare experience to really get in the head of a character and then meet someone who's done the same thing," says Rice, 23. "Just to have that shared experience, it means a lot."

Related: See the Mean Girls Casts Side-by-Side with the Other Actors Who Played the Characters

"Sometimes acting can be a lonely job. You get in the head of a character and then you have to say goodbye to it, and you feel like you've abandoned it," she continues.

"But to know that Cady has been a part of so many actors' lives and so many actors have delved into that character — she's bigger than the actor in a way." (Erika Henningsen originated the part on Broadway.)

"It means a lot that I get to share that with so many special performers, especially Lindsay," says Rice.

Lohan kept her cameo tight-lipped, though she attended the New York City premiere of the film on Jan. 8, posing with producer Lorne Michaels and Fey, 53, who returns as Ms. Norbury in the new film. (Tim Meadows also reprises his Principal Duvall.)

Related: Mean Girls Cast: Where Are They Now?

In a series of Walmart Black Friday ads, Lohan reprised her role as Cady alongside fellow legacy cast members Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert, imagining where they ended up years after the original film.

At the New York premiere, Daniel Franzese, who played Damian alongside Lohan, said the original cast is all very much down for a proper movie sequel.

"You've got to tell the boss lady [Tina Fey] over there. I'm sure [she's] heard it a million times, but she's the gatekeeper, so we're all waiting," said Franzese, 45, who added of his former costars, “We all talk when we can. It's very difficult. We were all really busy, but I love them also."

Mean Girls is in theaters now.

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