Duff explained a 30-year-old Lizzie McGuire wouldn’t have needed scandal — but it would need authenticity
Hilary Duff didn’t want to shy away from portraying Lizzie McGuire as an authentic adult — whatever that might mean.
The actress revealed her take on why Disney pulled the plug on its once-slated Lizzie McGuire reboot in a conversation with Women’s Health.
“She had to be 30 years old doing 30-year-old things,” the 34-year-old How I Met Your Father star said she thinks it was fear that stopped the progress on the reboot.
“She didn’t need to be doing bong rips and having one-night stands all the time, but it had to be authentic,” she added. “I think they got spooked.”
In 2019, Disney announced that Lizzie McGuire would return with its original cast — including Duff, Adam Lamberg, Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine and Jake Thomas — to follow the life of adult Lizzie.
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It wasn’t the first idea of its kind. The network has rebooted other shows in the same light, like That’s So Raven, which aged up to become Raven’s Home, and focused on Raven as a mother. But something got in the way of the McGuire family returning in a later part of life.
Duff announced the reboot wasn’t moving forward at Disney+ in 2020 with an emotional post. “I want any reboot of Lizzie to be honest and authentic to who Lizzie would be today. It’s what the character deserves,” she wrote in a statement.
“We can all take a moment to mourn the amazing woman she would have been and the adventures we would have taken with her. I’m very sad, but I promise everyone tried their best and the stars just didn’t align. Hey now, this is what 2020s made of.”
Duff also revealed the cast shot two episodes of the reboot before Disney+ axed the series.
Now, Duff stars on another sort of reboot — Hulu’s How I Met Your Father, which follows the format of 2000s sitcom How I Met Your Mother but updates the plot with new characters.
Duff’s Sophie has drawn comparisons to Lizzie, too, and the actress sees why. “It would be dumb of me to not know that I have a sweet spot playing that relatable girl. I am that girl,” Duff added to Women’s Health.
“It was a conscious choice not to be angsty and try to shift people’s opinions on who I am,” she said. “That doesn’t mean I didn’t want to try.”
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