The character Damian has appeared in the film Mean Girls (2004) and subsequent adaptations. He is the gay best friend of Janis Ian who is described within the franchise as "too gay to function".[2][3] He has also been called sarcastic.[4] Dessi Gomez of TheWrap has said Damian "stands by Janis' side through thick and thin, as she does with him. He manages to be in on all the girl drama just as much as guy drama around North Shore High. His talents, as showcased in the winter talent show, will take him far."[5]
Roles and portrayals
Social outcasts Damian and Janis teach new student Cady Heron about various cliques at the school and caution her about the "Plastics"—Regina George, Gretchen Wieners, and Karen Smith.[6]
In the original 2004 film, Damian is played by American actor Daniel Franzese. He sings "Beautiful" (2002) by Christina Aguilera during the talent show. After someone in the audience throws a shoe at him, Damian throws it back.[7] He wears a blue hoodie and black sunglasses as an "incognito" look. In Business Insider's 2022 list of the "most iconic" outfits from the film, Arielle Tschinkel said the look is "not the most fashionable" but "still iconic".[8] Billie Walker of Digital Spy said Damian's "catty one liners can still be recited by millennials everywhere", but "still failed in its queer representation".[9]
According to Franzese, he was asked to reprise the role for the music video to Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next" (2018), but he was unable to participate because of a schedule conflict.[10]
In a review of the 2024 film, in which Damian is portrayed by Jaquel Spivey,[15] André Hereford of Metro Weekly said Damian and Janis "are the ringmasters, narrating the entire story" of the production.[16] In 2024, Caitlin Tyrrell of Screen Rant said Auliʻi Cravalho's portrayal of Janis "brings a new layer to the friendship between Janis and Damian as two LGBTQ+ kids who may have bonded in part because of their sexuality".[17]
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