Rachael Leigh Cook Gets Candid About Gender-Flipped Netflix Remake ‘He's All That’

Rachael Leigh Cook explains what it was like being part of the cast of the new Netflix movie, He’s All That — a gender-swapped remake of the teen classic, She’s All That — which Cook was cast as the lead actress in the ‘90s.

The 41-year-old actress got candid with People about her latest role. She revealed to the publication that the movie, in general, gave her some “major nostalgia.”

Despite being regarded as one of the most beautiful actresses of the time, especially during the big reveal when she had a makeover, walking down the stairs in a red dress with Freddie Prinze Jr. waiting for her, Cook thought otherwise.

"I definitely thought that the movie had a ton of charm as a whole," Cook said about the 1999 film. "It sounds corny to say, but I just felt happy to be in it. I certainly didn't feel like I was in a class with all of the great beauties of that time, or of that movie makeover tradition."

Cook played as Laney Boggs, an art-nerd geek who became the subject of a bet made by Freddie Prinze Jr.'s character, Zack Siler, one of the most popular kids in school. The latter swore that he could turn her into prom queen material.

However, in the 2021 remake, He's All That, Cook plays a totally different role by acting as Padgett Sawyer’s (Addison Rae) mother. Rae’s role is an influencer who attempts to salvage her social media reputation by turning her non-trendy classmate Cameron Kweller (Tanner Buchanan) into prom king.

“Addison looks incredible in the movie," Cook said about her onscreen daughter. "She has great style. That generation has a lot that they could teach me, for sure."

As People noted, Cook’s first red carpet experience came early, along with her roles in some unforgettable '90s classics like Carpool, The Baby-Sitters Club, Tom and Huck, and All I Wanna Do. That said, the actress shared some details about her fashion struggles as a teen.

"Truthfully, I was definitely a teen of the '90s, but I didn't especially love '90s fashion," she stated. "I had a really hard time finding clothes for events back then because I just plain didn't like anything. So I ended up in some pretty bizarre outfits just trying to do my best."

Despite being in her 40s, the movie star still looks young and radiant, and her playing as a parent may come as shocking to some fans because she doesn’t look quite her age. Her beauty secret? Skincare!

"First of all, I promise not to be one of those actresses who just gets on some soapbox and tells you to drink water," Cook said jokingly. "We've heard enough of that, and nobody believes you!"

Instead, she revealed that retinol is a big part of her ageless look, and swears by a specific product by Epi.logic's Double Feature.

"Being over 40, you should make friends with retinol," Cook said, followed by vitamin C, and she recommended Universal C by BeautyStat, as well as the SPF moisturizing power of MZ Skin's Tint & Protect.

"I definitely feel my age, but if I can not look it all the way, I'm a happy camper," she added.