She’s known for her iconic role as a beloved Disney character.
And Hilary Duff admitted she is ‘very protective’ over Lizzie McGuire and truly fought to bring her back to life despite a failed reboot with Disney+.
The 33-year-old actress talked about the many ‘creative discussions’ between the network and producers for an evolved Lizzie before chatting about her new lead role on How I Met Your Father during a video interview for SiriusXM’s Jesse Cagle Show.
Hey now: Hilary Duff admitted she is ‘very protective’ over Lizzie McGuire and truly fought to bring her back to life despite a failed reboot with Disney+
‘That’s kind of been the battle,’ she said of creating the updated show. ‘Like I don’t want to call it a battle cause everyone’s on very like loving terms between, you know, me and Disney and, but that that’s been the thing.
‘I think they’re really trying to figure out what kind of content they want living on Disney+, and that doesn’t totally align with like where I see Lizzie right now, you know, and I’m like very protective of her and they’re very protective of her.’
In the summer of 2019, fans were overjoyed to hear that Hilary was returning to the role that made her a household name as filming would soon be underway in a reboot of the classic tween show.
‘But the one thing for me was just the way that she could connect with what was going on in, in people that were watching the show,’ she said. ‘It was like they’re watching themselves, you know, and, and the, and that was where they related. And so for me, you know, we got we, I, it only makes sense to me to shoot a show where she’s acting like a 30 year old in a modern world.’
Working mom: The 33-year-old actress talked about the many ‘creative discussions’ between the network and producers for an evolved Lizzie before chatting about her new lead role on How I Met Your Father during a video interview for SiriusXM’s Jesse Cagle Show
Back in the day: Lizzie McGuire first aired in 2001 on the Disney Channel and even received its own movie, which was released in 2003 and grossed $55million at the box office
She admitted there were ‘a lot of creative discussions’ to bring Lizzie’s character up to speed as an adult woman navigating new relationships.
‘We were trying to, to make it work,’ she said. ‘And, you know, there’s always like lots of conversations, but I don’t think it’s going to be happening.’
Lizzie McGuire first aired in 2001 on the Disney Channel and even received its own movie, which was released in 2003 and grossed $55million at the box office.
When Terri Minsky walked away from the show at the beginning of 2020, Disney released a statement addressing creative differences.
Trio: Hilary starred alongside Lalaine Vergara-Paras and Adam Lamberg who played Lizzie’s best friends Miranda Sanchez and David ‘Gordo’ Gordon
‘We were trying to, to make it work,’ she said. ‘And, you know, there’s always like lots of conversations, but I don’t think it’s going to be happening’ (seen in a clip from the reboot)
Duff pleaded for Disney to move the show to Hulu so that viewers could see how her character evolved from a teenager to a young adult living in the city, a move made by the show Love, Simon for a similar situation.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed in March that a leaked script included ‘the existence of sex with cheating as a central plot point,’ which could have been the reason why Disney wanted to use a PG rating.
‘Was incredibly excited to launch ‘Lizzie’ on D+ and my passion remains!’ she wrote . ‘However, I feel a huge responsibility to honor the fans’ relationship with LIZZIE who, like me, grew up seeing themselves in her.
‘We were trying to, to make it work,’ she said. ‘And, you know, there’s always like lots of conversations, but I don’t think it’s going to be happening’
Help: Duff pleaded for Disney to move the show to Hulu so that viewers could see how her character evolved from a teenager to a young adult living in the city, a move made by the show Love, Simon for a similar situation
‘I’d be doing a disservice to everyone by limiting the realities of a 30 year old’s journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating,’ she continued. ‘It’s important to me that just as her experience as a preteen / teenager navigating her life were authentic, her next chapters are equally as real and relatable.’
‘It would be a dream if Disney would let us move the show to Hulu, if they were interested, and I could bring this beloved character to life again,’ she added.
And while Duff put Lizzie’s character behind her, Duff’s gearing up to star in the How I Met Your Mother remake for Hulu aptly titled How I Met Your Father.
‘I don’t know how much I’m able to say and the script,’ she said. ‘I mean, the script was so good. I literally called and I was like, “please, yes, please have them pick me.”
‘So I, you know, it’s, I don’t want to give it all away and the script is, is definitely being changed a little bit. But it does tie in and, you know, hopefully we’ll have some fun guest appearances from, from the original cast.’
New gig: And while Duff put Lizzie’s character behind her, she’s gearing up to star in the How I Met Your Mother remake for Hulu aptly titled How I Met Your Father