Rachael Leigh Cook Reveals Surprising Role In The She's All That Remake
He's All That, a remake of the 1999 favorite She's All That, just keeps getting better and better. In December 2020, it was revealed that Rachael Leigh Cook – the star from the original cast who played Laney Boggs — would be joining the gender-swapped redo, but in a slightly different role. Cook will play the mother of Padgett Sawyer, who will be brought to life by TikTok star Addison Rae. In the film, Rae will be channeling Freddie Prinze Jr.'s role as cool kid Zack Siler, while actor Tanner Buchanan will be the one getting the makeover ... or so we assume.
On Dec. 14, 2020, the film shared the exciting news on Instagram with a picture of Cook and Rae on set. "Look who's back! Rachael Leigh Cook (@rachaelleighcook) joins the #HesAllThat family, playing Padgett's (@addisonraee) wise and caring mother," read the caption. Although Cook has landed a spot in the highly-anticipated movie, her character "will not be a reprisal of her original role as Laney Boggs," a publicist for the film told People. Keep scrolling for more details about the She's All That remake.
Rachael Leigh Cook is one of many familiar faces on set
In addition to Rachael Leigh Cook's return to the All That set, there are several other people from the original film who are lending a hand with the remake. In fact, the movie is being produced by original producers Jennifer Gibgot and Andrew Panay. Also, the screenwriter who created She's All That, R. Lee Fleming, is back to reimagine the film. "I'm thrilled to be reunited with so many familiar faces!" Cook said in a statement (via People). "This version has a great new spin that I think people will really enjoy."
While there are a few familiar faces on set, there are also quite a few new additions to the team, including Mean Girls director Mark Waters. This time around, the storyline is from a teenage girl's prospective, where a social media influencer makes over the school's biggest nerd and turns him into prom king. "In reality, they're both making over each other into better people, like in She's All That," Tanner Buchanan told People. "It really holds true to the original story but is just updated in a way that feels current ... cell phones and social media are pretty integral parts of our lives now!"