For example, in the original 2004 movie, cliques were partially allocated by race and Coach Carr’s sexual relationship with a student was played for laughs. Almost 20 years later, new versions of the script have subsequently done away with or changed those moments. Of course, Tina’s had a big role in all that — she penned the original script, wrote the book for the Broadway musical, and is now producing the movie musical.
Tina was asked by the New York Times about the “jokes and story lines about race, sexuality and pedophilia” that haven’t aged well in a new interview. “I was writing in the early 2000s very much based on my experience as a teen in the late ’80s. It’s come to no one’s surprise that jokes have changed,” she replied.
“You don’t poke in the way that you used to poke. Even if your intention was always the same, it’s just not how you do it anymore, which is fine. I very much believe that you can find new ways to do jokes with less accidental shrapnel sideways,” she continued.
“People were really rough. People are still horrible, they’re just more likely to anonymously type it,” Tina said, emphasizing that people were still “divisive and horrible” but were more likely to “couch it in virtue.”
Subsequent changes included Dawn Schweitzer being called a “horny shrimp” instead of a “fat virgin” in the Burn Book. “I know that even Regina would know what wouldn’t fly. She’s going to find a way to inflict pain on people, but she’s not going to get herself in trouble,” Tina explained.
One such moment includes when Regina remarks, “Oh my God, it’s her dream come true: diving into a huge pile of girls” at Janice. Tina said, “It was mine and [director] Sam Jayne’s feeling that Regina wouldn’t try that now because she knows the kids around her would be like, ‘That’s homophobic.’ She would know not to be homophobic, and hopefully, truly would not be homophobic.”
Not all the changes were done for “moral” reasons, however. When asked about Ms. Norbury no longer calling for people to stop called women “sluts” and “whores,” Tina said, “Some of that was just needing to go faster to make room for songs.”
Regina’s weight shaming in the movie still applies but is done somewhat differently. “Look at the famous people that influence Gen Z, and we’re still always talking about their bodies,” she continued. We still want to be talking about how weird and messy everything is for girls, while acknowledging that these standards aren’t mandatory — but a lot of people are still signing up for them.”
You can read the full interview with Tina here.
