Different doesn’t feel so different. Hilary Duff rose to fame as Lizzie McGuire on the Disney Channel hit show, but after the series ended, the actress struggled to land other roles.
″I definitely went through big frustrations of being like, ‘Why can I not get a shot at being someone else?’” the Younger star, 33, told Cosmopolitan U.K. in its November cover story. “Not that I want to dog every casting director out there, but there’s a very small handful of people who are character actors and can be hired for roles that are truly different from one another. From age 21 to 25, before I became a mom, there was a lot of frustration.”
The singer recalled that although she’d nail her auditions, she still wouldn’t get the parts she wanted.
″I would get to producer callback and they’d be like, ‘She’s so great and she gave us the best reading and blah blah blah, but she’s Hilary Duff,’” she shared.
For years, Duff was asked about reviving Lizzie McGuire — which aired from 2001 to 2004 on Disney Channel and was followed by a movie — and she’d say no. However, she “feels ready” now.
″It just doesn’t annoy me any more when people refer to me as Lizzie McGuire or say that was my biggest role because it paved the way for all the other roads I’ve been able to take,” the True author told the magazine. “I’m at such a different place in my life now, being a mother and a wife – it doesn’t weigh on me anymore.”
The Gossip Girl alum has two children — a son, Luca Cruz, 8, with ex-husband Mike Comrie, and a 22-month-old daughter, Banks Violet, with husband Matthew Koma.
“I don’t feel like people only see me that way,” the “All About You” singer said. “[Even] when they do, I feel appreciative of it because she was very impactful on so many people’s lives.”
Last year, Duff filmed two episodes of the new Lizzie McGuire for Disney+ but production was paused in January following the exit of original creator Terri Minsky. The Cinderella Story actress spoke out about the show on her Instagram following the shake-up, voicing her concern for the tone of the show and saying she hopes Hulu picks it up so that they can approach more mature topics.
There hasn’t been an answer and filming — now due to the coronavirus — has not yet resumed.
“There’s still no, like, ‘For sure, this is happening,’ but I think they’re pretty confident that we can make the show that I want, and that they want, for Disney+,” Duff told Cosmo. “I really want to do right by 30-year-olds who grew up with Lizzie and still have that 12-year- old voice inside of them, cheering them on but also making them feel like an idiot at times. … But, you know, 30-year-olds have sexual experiences and drink alcohol, so I think they’re just trying to wrap their heads around what that looks like, on that platform. I don’t want to do it unless I can speak to the people I care about, and [Lizzie] can be there for those people again.”