Hilary Duff, best known for her role as Lizzie McGuire, recently opened up about her desire to shed the image of the spunky preteen character following the end of the hit Disney show.
During an appearance on the Good Guys podcast with Josh Peck and Ben Soffer, Duff shared that she “really didn’t want to be Lizzie McGuire anymore, as cool as it was” after the show ended in 2004. She explained that she “desperately needed to be my own person” and that she saw music as a way to reintroduce herself.
Duff released her debut studio album, Santa Claus Lane, in 2002 and spent the next five years “trying to navigate becoming a person that I wanted to be outside of who everybody wanted me to be.” She recalled mothers coming up to her on tour and telling her to “never change,” which she found challenging as she tried to establish her own identity.
The actress and singer played Lizzie for two seasons on Disney and also starred in The Lizzie McGuire Movie in 2003. Although plans for a Disney+ reboot were cancelled, Duff remains optimistic about the show’s fate.
Duff also discussed her desire to make more music, saying, “I miss that version of myself. And I definitely think that I have more to do in that department. I just don’t know when.” She cited her busy schedule as a mom to three children as the reason for the uncertainty.
Despite her challenges, Duff remains a successful actress, currently starring in the lead role on Hulu’s How I Met Your Father. She has also appeared in films like Cheaper By the Dozen and A Cinderella Story, and made dozens of appearances across television series.
