Booksmart features breakout performances from its main leads, but Billie Lourd's Gigi stood out as the ultimate scene-stealer. Olivia Wilde's feature film directorial debut is getting rave reviews from fans and critics alike, with specific attention paid to Lourd.
The comedy follows two high school seniors, Amy and Molly, who spent more time studying in the library than they did interacting with their classmates. After the best friends realize that their peers made it into equally respectable colleges, they decide to spend their last night before graduation as partygoing rulebreakers. What ensues is a hilarious quest in finding the party with all the cool kids while they learn more about each other along the way - as well as repeatedly run into the enigmatic Gigi.
Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) end up at quite a few locations on their crusade in finding the address of the party but their interactions with Gigi throughout the night became the movie's best gag. From the slow-motion sequence that served as Gigi's entrance in Booksmart, it was clear that Lourd's character was going to be a highlight. She then went on to randomly pop up at every party that Amy and Molly mistakenly end up at. But, even though Lourd appeared in plenty of scenes, Booksmart viewers couldn't get enough of Gigi - which is why she deserves her own spinoff!
Whether Gigi was trying to nap on the hood of Jared's car, jumping off a yacht, or referring to herself as a "golden starfish" while bellyflopping into a pool, the character was always providing some of Booksmart's best jokes. But while there's no doubt that the character was intended to be funny first-and-foremost, Wilde didn't write her as just a stereotype. On the outside, sure, Gigi seemed like an intense version of a typical party girl, but that wasn't necessarily the case.
There were definitely a lot of layers to Gigi, and Booksmart only scratched the surface. Her friendship with Jared was significant as it hinted that they depended on each other; Gigi was popular in high school yet was closed off and wasn't able to rely on just everyone. She partied hard and experimented with drugs (or vitamins), but also got into Harvard. There's more to her than just the free-spirited girl we met in the movie, as insinuated by Jared at the final party. A Booksmart spinoff centered on Gigi would give viewers an opportunity to get to the core to some of her deeper layers.
Lourd has proven that she is worthy of a lead part at this point in her career, yet for some reason, she continues to get supporting roles. She showcased her quick, dry humor as Chanel #3 in Scream Queens before she moved onto more serious horror tones in American Horror Story. She has also starred alongside her late mother, Carrie Fisher, in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Lourd's range as an actor is remarkable and it's time for her to be at the center of a project. Make it a Booksmart Gigi spinoff.