Lizzie McGuire is a childhood gem that will always stay close to the hearts of fans and its star, Hilary Duff. In fact, at one point, the Disney show was close to being revived before it got canceled. Now, if you’re curious how Duff landed the beloved titular role of the show that has helped define her career, she shared the “crazy” story behind it, and it involves a previous firing and an audition flub.
Before Hilary Duff starred in Lizzie McGuire, the popular celebrity was a Texas native who played minor roles and starred in the cool ‘90s straight-to-video movie Casper Meets Wendy. In Duff’s interview with Variety, the former child star shared the “crazy” audition story of how she got her Disney Channel role that happened shortly after being fired from a different show:
The audition for the TV show was crazy. I had decided that I wanted to go back to Texas and be like, a ‘normal kid.’ I had just gotten replaced off of a TV show because they replaced me with twins, so they could work longer hours. And I remember being like, ‘I got fired. 11 years old and I got fired from a job.’ It was like, absolutely devastating.
I understand why an 11-year-old Hilary Duff wanted to throw in the towel after getting replaced on a show. With that type of disappointment already hitting hard with adults, I can imagine it being incredibly brutal for a child to go through.
The television business can be stressful due to changes occurring early on to ensure a show’s success. That happened on The Big Bang Theory’s original pilot, which had two female lead characters that didn’t make it to the final cut and were replaced with the character of Penny.
But in the case of Hilary Duff, that bad situation actually led to something truly incredible. However, before that, the journey to starring as a teenager navigating through life still had its own set of challenges:
Then my manager called my mom and was like, ‘Disney wants to see Hilary for this thing.’ I walked in, and I was super unprepared. It was like a monologue. And I’ll never forget the casting director, her name was Robbin Lippin. And she was like, ‘You’re not very prepared for this.’ I was like, [cringes]. I always kind of love a challenge. So she was like, ‘Can you go be better prepared and come back tomorrow?’ And I was like ‘Yes I can.’
Talk about another stressful experience! Just when an opportunity calls your name, you’re asked to come back the next day to better prep. But luckily, the young Hilary Duff didn’t back away from a challenge like the pro she is.
Bad luck may have hit the A Cinderella Story star before landing the role of a lifetime, but Duff’s story of how her audition went proved that she was born for the coming-of-age role:
I came back the next day, and I was completely off book. And I had it down, and I actually loved the sides. You go back, and you get call back, and then you go to the producers and then you go to — ‘What’s your special talent?’ And I started like, walking around on my hands because I used to do gymnastics. I think I was trying to like, shock everybody, and then I got the job.
It’s perfect that gymnastics helped the How I Met Your Father actress get the part of Lizzie. There was a memorable episode of the series when the 13-year-old discovered that she was gifted in rhythmic gymnastics. Plus, Duff had her share of physical comedy and dancing she got to do in many episodes. Who would have thought her athletic talent would be the secret ingredient to playing one of our favorite Disney Channel characters?
Securing the role of Lizzie McGuire may not have been an easy feat for Hilary Duff after getting fired and flubbing the initial audition. However, all of those previous struggles eventually paid off as Lizzie McGuire got Duff on the map of stardom as both a successful actress and singer. You can relive the glory of the hit comedy series by streaming it with a Disney+ subscription.