00s film star snapped up for Netflix Christmas movie looks the same 20 years later

Lacey Chabert as Kathy Barrett wearing a wooly hat in Hot Frosty
After starring in a major 2004 film, Lacey Chabert has joined the Netflix Christmas film stable (Picture: Petr Maur/Netflix)

An actress who starred in a famous role in a quotable, iconic film has barely aged at all, 20 years later.

While the huge 2004 hit movie was far from her first foray into popular onscreen projects, it’s the one that cemented her success.

And Lacey Chabert is making a grand return thanks to her lead role in what looks to be Netflix’s cheesiest (and therefore, most successful) festive film for 2024.

Chabert, 42, is best known for appearing as Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls in 2004, opposite Lindsay Lohan as high school new girl Cady.

She was one of ‘The Plastics’, a group top of the social pecking order and led by Rachel McAdam’s meanest of mean girls, Regina George, alongside Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith.

Gretchen – whose father invented the toaster strudel, if you remember – was, of course, always trying to make ‘fetch’ happen.

Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Rachel McAdams and Lacey Chabert pose in heels and skirts while surrounded by a crowd of hughschoolers in Mean girls
Chabert (R) played Gretchen Weiners opposite (from L) Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and Rachel McAdams in Mean Girls (Picture: Paramount Pictures)

Lacey Chabert, Rachel McAdams, Lindsay Lohan, and Amanda Seyfried dressed in revealing Santa outfits as they dance onstage in Mean Girls
Mean Girls was a huge hit 20 years ago, and has since been remade (Picture: Paramount Pictures)

Lacey Chabert in a space-age jacket in Lost In Space
The actress already had big credits to her name though, including 1998’s Lost in Space with Matt LeBlanc and Gary Oldman (Picture: Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock)

Since then, she has starred in horror remake Black X-mas with Oliver Hudson and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, as well as US family sitcom Baby Daddy from 2013 to 2104.

Alongside extensive voice acting – including Young Justice, Robot Chicken and Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny – Chabert also starred in 2009 flick Ghosts of Girlfriends Past alongside Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner.

She then made a name for herself as the ‘Queen of Hallmark movies’, starring in over 30 of the channel’s calling card rom-coms, like Matchmaker Santa, The Sweetest Christmas and Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe.

Lacey Chabert walks down a staircase in white gloves and a pink glittery dress in A Royal Christmas
After Mean Girls she starred in over 30 Hallmark movies (Picture: Hallmark/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock)

Lacey Chabert smiles in a dark blue sleeveless shirt dress and jewellery at an event in September 2024
In 2024 she looks exactly the same (Picture: Getty)

In 2015, she even got Mariah Carey for a co-star thanks to A Christmas Melody – and the pair later co-starred again in 2017’s animated movie All I Want For Christmas is You.

But in November, fans will see her as widow Kathy in Hot Frosty, a retelling of Frosty the Snowman where he has killer abs and is magically transformed from a nude snow sculpture (obviously).

Fans have already declared it ‘exactly what I want’ and ‘movie of the year’ after the recent trailer release.

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Dustin Milligan as Jack Snowman and Lacey Chabert as Kathy Barrett sit under a Christmas tree cross-legged and in blankets in Hot Frosty
Hot Frosty sees Chabert star opposite a magical snowman come to life played by Dustin Milligan (Picture: Petr Maur/Netflix)

Chabert stars opposite snowman Jack (Schitt’s Creek’s Dustin Milligan), Craig Robinson, Joe Lo Truglio, Katy Mixon and Lauren Holly.

Before Chabert made her name in Mean Girls, she had already appeared as Bianca on six seasons of TV drama Party of Five, 1998 movie Lost in Space opposite Matt LeBlanc and Gary Oldman and provided the singing voice for the young Anastasia in the 1997 animation.

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