‘The Clique’ Actress Teases ‘Huge Theme’ of Sequel Book with Lisi Harrison Exclusive

Middle school was hard. 

Actress Ellen Marlow knows this firsthand, having experienced it twice: first, while attending school, and then while filming the movie adaptation of The Clique, based on the young adult series of the same name.

Marlow, 31, talks to PEOPLE exclusively about why the books and movie resonated for so many people, but admits she didn’t realize their impact until well over a decade later.

“We made this movie that went straight to DVD, we had no idea if anyone ever saw it, because there was no online discourse,” Marlow explains. “We made the thing, put it out there, and hoped that people saw it.”

“It wasn’t until the movie came to Netflix in 2021, and there was a resurgence on TikTok, and people said, ‘Oh my God, I love these books. I love this movie.’ ”

The books follow Claire Lyons, who befriends a group of wealthy girls known as the Pretty Committee, after her family moves from Florida to Westchester, N.Y. The series, which debuted in 2004, includes 14 novels by author Lisi Harrison.

Marlow played Claire in the 2008 movie adaptation of The Clique, which also featured Bridgit Mendler, Elizabeth McLaughlin, Samantha Boscarino and Sophie Anna Everhard. Marlow says the “girls are all on board” for a continuation of the series and would come back for another movie. 

“We keep in touch. There isn’t a group chat, but I have spoken to each of them over the years. The resurgence of the Clique online has reconnected us in an amazing way,” she says. “We’ve all gotten along, but people went to college, people got married, life happens. We got disconnected, and this whole resurgence of The Clique online has reconnected us in this really cool, organic and magical way.” 

Marlow’s TikTok is filled with comments from women who loved the book series and the movie, all sharing and relating over their middle school struggles.

“I don’t know a single girl who had an easy time in middle school,” Marlow shares. “We all dealt with girl group dynamics and female friendships and all of their complications. It resonated with me and made me feel less alone when I felt like I was on the outs of my friend group in seventh grade. You never know where you stand.”

“Rereading it as an adult, it becomes less vicious. We’ve become more refined as we get older,” she continues. “But these dynamics don’t really go away in female friendship and in friend groups and cliques, even as grown women. You see it with drama on a bachelorette party; it’s the same thing. We just have credit cards now.” 

Over 15 years after the movie came out, Marlow reconnected with Harrison, 55, to ask if she had considered writing another book, and the two have been brainstorming and working on the book together ever since. In October 2024, the duo announced they were working on a new Clique sequel that follows the Pretty Committee into their late 20s.

“The audience was asking for it all the time. I was receiving TikTok comments and Instagram messages almost daily from women saying, ‘Can we please have the Pretty Committee reunite in their late 20s?'” Marlow says. “That’s when I reached out to Lisi and asked her if she’s ever thought about doing an adult Clique novel.” 

When they chatted, Harrison admitted that she had an outline for another story and had “thought about it for years.” 

“She said, ‘Every time that I’ve done a speaking engagement, girls bring their original copy of the Clique for me to sign and ask if I can write an adult novel about the girls,'” Marlow recalls of their conversation. “Then we started talking about concepts and ideas, and all of a sudden we created this incredible organic partnership.”

Harrison has leaned on Marlow’s expertise to share insights into how women in their 20s act and date in today’s digital age.

While she can’t share too many details about the book yet, Marlow thinks the “audience is gonna be thrilled with where the Pretty Committee has ended up.” 

Marlow notes that “a huge theme of the new book is what their insecurities were when they were in seventh grade, are still their insecurities when they’re in their late 20s, because that’s life and that’s how it goes.” 

Since the movie’s release all those years ago, Marlow has been involved in various other projects, including joining the touring cast of Kinky Boots and Frozen on Broadway. She splits her time between New York City and Austin, Texas.

Working on the book with Harrison inspired the two to start the EhMaGawd! podcast. From that, Marlow also developed a Substack where she re-reads The Clique series and documents her thoughts with a whole community of women. 

“Lisi and I can speak for the rest of the girls and say we are extremely blown away by the impact this has had over the years. It’s such a joyous thing. We’re living in dark times. There’s a lot going on in the world. This community is an escape and a blessing,” Marlow shares.

“We’re so grateful for the audience and for the passion people have for this franchise all of these years later. The audience is the reason we’re doing this new book.”

While the new Clique book doesn’t have a release date, it will “cover topics from female friendships to career and relationship crises and how all of those things interact with each other.”