Hilary Duff and Disney disagreed on fate of 'Lizzie McGuire'

Hilary Duff and Disney, both ‘very protective’ of Lizzie McGuire, disagreed on reboot

By Aida YlananData and Graphics Journalist

May 7, 2021 11:16 AM PT

Hilary Duff is dishing about why the much-anticipated “Lizzie McGuire” reboot never came to be.

The 33-year-old actor explained Thursday on SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show” that her vision for the popular character didn’t quite align with Disney’s, which originally aired the series from 2001 to 2004 on the Disney Channel.

“I think they’re really trying to figure out what kind of content they want living on Disney+,” said Duff, now the star of Hulu’s forthcoming “How I Met Your Father.” “That doesn’t totally align with where I see Lizzie right now. I’m like very protective of her, and they’re very protective of her.”

Duff hesitated while describing the back-and-forth that ensued in talks with Disney before settling on what she said were a lot of “creative discussions” about the future of her character. Ultimately, she said, the reboot isn’t happening.

Disney originally aired “Lizzie McGuire” on the Disney Channel from 2001 to 2004. Now invested heavily in the success of streaming service Disney+, the entertainment giant also owns Hulu.

Duff, who emphasized that the discussions between her and the company weren’t a “battle,” imagined a more mature reprisal of the role — one in which Lizzie, like the fans who grew up watching her, faces the ups and downs of adulthood.

“The way that she could connect with what was going on in people that were watching the show, it was like, they’re watching themselves. And that was where they related,” she explained. “It only makes sense to me to shoot a show where she’s acting like a 30-year-old in a modern world.”

The actor also said she was once sick of hearing about her iconic role. “There was a point in my life where I couldn’t stand Lizzie McGuire. I was like, ‘I don’t want to hear that name ever again!’”

Still, Duff said she was happy about the three weeks she spent tapping into the role for two episodes of the ill-fated reboot. “Now that I’m my age, I’m like, ‘I love her.’ This is where it all began for me.”

“We’re different humans now,” she said of reuniting with the show’s original cast. “It was just all love, and it still is.”