Yahoo News Reneé Rapp Is 'Grateful' for Sex Lives Costar Alyah Chanelle Scott: 'She Has Gotten Me Through a Lot'
Katrina Marcinowski/HBO Max
Reneé Rapp didn't just score a once-in-a-lifetime gig with The Sex Lives of College Girls — she also gained a best friend.
The Mindy Kaling-created HBO Max series aired its final episodes of the second season last week and has already been renewed for a third season on the streaming service. The show follows Rapp's character, spoiled New Yorker Leighton who recently came out as gay, and her three roommates: outspoken, comedy-focused Bela (Amrit Kaur); quirky, boy favorite Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) and headstrong varsity athlete Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott).
While Whitney and Leighton may not be the closest of the four on the show, the same cannot be said of Rapp and Scott in real life.
"Oh, we are thing one and thing two," Rapp, 22, tells PEOPLE of her friendship with Scott, 25.
Katrina Marcinowski/HBO Max
Part of that connection could have to do with their shared background on the stage.
Scott, a University of Michigan alum, joined the national tour of The Book of Mormon in the role of Nabulungi, the love interest of protagonist Arnold Cunningham, in mid-2019 following her graduation from college. Around the same time, Rapp had scored a role in Mean Girls the Musical on Broadway as the iconic Regina George. Like Scott, she spent nearly a year in the role before production was shut down for the pandemic.
Filling in the shoes of Rachel McAdams' iconic mean girl was a daunting task for newbie Rapp, who had caught the eyes of producers following her win at the 2018 Jimmy Awards — an annual high school musical theater competition.
Luckily, Rapp says it was a character she could relate to. "I definitely had it in me," she says.
She's quick to clarify, though, that while she was "always the Regina George of the friend group," she wasn't a bully — more of a strong-headed defender of her friends.
The same is true now, as she's formed a tight bond with Scott since they met on Sex Lives. "The best part of this job was having Alyah become my best friend," Rapp says. "She has gotten me through a lot, and vice versa, and I am very, very grateful for her.
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As the second season came to a close last week, it ended with its usual punch: Bela was considering transferring from Essex to a new school for sophomore year; Whitney decided to take Leighton's spot in Kappa instead of living with her same roommates after seeing her ex-boyfriend kiss Kimberly, and fans still have no idea how Kimberly will afford school for another year.
Despite all of its usual drama, the second installment saw major growth for Leighton, who opted to abandon her previous dream of being in a sorority in favor of living with her roommates again. She also got back together with her ex, Alicia, after realizing her snobby, doppelgänger girlfriend Tatum embodied what she wanted to change about herself.
"She has a lot more warmth to her this season, which I really love," Rapp says.
Katrina Marcinowski/HBO Max Pauline Chalamet, Alyah Chanelle Scott, and Reneé Rapp in 'The Sex Lives of College Girls'
Looking to the future, Rapp says she wants Leighton to find someone who is "really good for her" — but also to have her real-life friendship extend onto the screen.
"I want her and Whitney to become best, best, best friends," she shares.
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Seasons 1 and 2 of The Sex Lives of College Girls is now streaming on HBO Max.
