They're sexy! They're cute! They're popular to boot!
Start chanting along with the cheers that pepper the now-classic 2000 teen comedy Bring It On and you might never stop. Or at least you're going to have "that's alright, that's OK, you're gonna pump our gas someday" in your head for hours.
But what's more than alright and more than OK, is that it's Kirsten Dunst's birthday April 30 (you know you want to chant it)—and because this is a cheerocracy, we have decided that the timing is spot-on to check in with the cast of the sleeper hit about a high school cheerleading squad from a privileged enclave in San Diego, Calif., that learns the true meaning of teamwork after it turns out their former captain was stealing routines from other squads.
As Dunst, who did some cheering herself in eighth grade, pointed out to E! News almost 20 years ago, the important objective she feels they achieved with the film was to push against the stereotype of the ditzy cheerleader (Eliza Dushku's Missy certainly has her preconceived notions) and show how hard those athletes really work.
"They're gymnasts and dancers," Dunst explained, "this is like a sport and no one really realizes it." Added Gabrielle Union, "The kind of cheerleaders that we're portraying in the film, it's on such another level as far as the athleticism and the level of commitment."
Don't worry, there's no need for you to attempt to execute a wolf wall pyramid—all that tumbling around isn't suitable for social distancing at the moment anyway. Rather, sit back, relax, and enjoy the nostalgic scent of clover in the atmosphere:
Want more Bring It On? Catch the cult favorite movie airing on E! April 30 at 4 p.m. in honor of Dunst's birthday.
(This story was originally published on Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 6 a.m. PT.)