S3 Ep7: Vivian Panka: From Heather Duke to Regina George and Making Mean Girls History!!

How Very Hannah

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Thursday, 19 February 2026 - 53 minutes

On THURSDAYS we wear pink… and talk Mean Girls, Heathers, Legally Blonde AND handling the internet when it’s doing the most…This week I’m joined by my friend – and actual real-life Regina George – Vivian Panka. We met doing the Heathers movie together (she was Heather Duke, I was New Wave Party Girl…), and now she’s leading the UK & Ireland tour of Mean Girls as Queen Bee herself.Vivian takes us inside the *wild* audition process: going in for Gretchen, asking to be seen for Regina, last-minute recalls, and finding out she’d booked it while on holiday listening to the cast album on repeat.We also get into some big stuff:- Being the first black Regina George and what it means to see yourself in roles you weren’t “traditionally” cast in- Why colour ≠ “type”, and how she’s gone from 9 to 5 to Mean Girls- Learning English from a bootleg of High School Musical 2 (yes, really) and why everyone thinks she’s American- The reality of Stage Door – vocal health, boundaries, safety, weird encounters and why sometimes it *is* okay to slip out the backHope you love this one – it’s stagey, sooo fetch and a little bit therapeutic 🫶🏼New episodes every Thursday at 7am! Hit FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to never miss an ep ✨—🎟️ See Vivian in Mean Girls (UK & Ireland Tour) – https://meangirlsmusical.com/🎧 Watch us together in Heathers: The Musical – now streaming on Amazon Prime Video🎟️ See me in Legally Blonde on tour!!Book your tickets 👉🏼 https://legallyblondeshow.com💌  Want to send your hotlines, dilemmas or questions? Email hello@howveryhannah.com or slide into the DMs @howvery_hannahAnd make sure to follow the pod EVERYWHERE!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/howvery_hannahTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@howvery_hannahBUY MY BOOK - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/476785/les-quizerables-by-lowther-hannah/9781529978964Produced by Bear Lane Productions 🎙️Music by Joe Truscott 🎵

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