The life lessons we carry with us today are all thanks to Lizzie McGuire! Believe it or not, the face behind the cultural phenomenon, Hilary Duff, was only 14 years old when she hit the big screen. Queue the lyrics to the infamous theme song of the film, "Hey now, hey now, this is what dreams are made of!" This child star hit the big-time rapidly and was instantly famous. A woman of many talents, it's her humble nature that attributed to her success.
Although the Lizzie McGuire reboot is sadly not moving forward, the mama of three has her hands literally busy - talk about A Cinderella Story. And that doesn't only entail baby duties, but numerous new projects on the horizon, like a role on How I Met Your Mother spinoff. With a beautiful family that she shares with her husband, Matthew Koma, we can't help but wonder what it was like growing up as the always-joyful Hilary Duff. Below are details of the Disney Channel star's life as a youngin'.
10 The Ones Who Raised Her
Duff was born this way!
Born in Houston, Texas, the mother of three was born into a family with entertainment roots. Although her father, Robert Duff, had a chain of convenience stores, her mother, Susan Collen, was a film and music producer. Becoming a star was definitely in the businesswoman's blood!
According to The U.S. Sun, while Duff was in her early 20s and a bonafide pop superstar, it was a tumultuous time as her parents had filed for divorce.
9 Sisterly Love
If you're familiar with the mother, wife, and Hollywood star, you may know that the Duff family is quite the talented bunch. While Hilary stole the spotlight in a show that aired for just two seasons, her elder sister, Haylie Duff, also a mother, was right there behind her.
Born in 1987, the innocent and sweet face that's charmed us for all these years got an early start in her career. At the mere age of six, Hilary put her foot in the door as a ballet dancer. Following her inscription was a role in The Nutcracker Suite. The sisters were both destined to be stars, but Hilary looked up to her confidant for inspiration.
8 Monkey See, Monkey Do
The "So Yesterday" singer was inseparable from her sister growing up. Everything she did when she was a child was because of her sister - we could say Haylie's lead is somewhat to thank for Duff's legacy.
At a young age, both sisters took on the same hobbies and classes. Apart from singing and acting, as a kid, the Cheaper by the Dozen actress tip-toed her way through ballet classes. Why? Because she wanted to be in a pink tutu just like her elder sister. Constantly following her footsteps, the actress was determined to do whatever Haylie did. On speaking of her childhood, Duff said, "I always wanted to be like my older sister, Haylie. When she learned to ride a bike, I had to as well. If she took ballet lessons, I did too. I took singing lessons because she did."
7 Her Parents Paved The Way
Duff, who has been in the industry for over two decades, and is now 33 years old, didn't bag the Lizzie McGuire deal with the snap of a finger.
Her parents, Susan and Bob Duff made sacrifices for the Disney Channel's first major star that we all felt we could instantly relate to (throwback to bootcut jeans and body glitter). Living in Texas, the family eventually relocated to California so that both daughters could take a shot at the entertainment industry. And like many of her fellow child stars, her face first hit television screens with commercials.
6 The Early Years
Lizzie McGuire premiered in 2001, which means it took Duff numerous years of hard work and determination before she found her major breakout role.
After her family decided to make the brave move to relocate to The Golden State, to make their daughters' dreams come true, Duff quickly pursued her passions. Instead of focusing on one singular niche, Duff enrolled in both acting and singing classes. From there, she began the tiresome process of auditioning, only landing minor roles to start.
5 Growing Up Famous
The Younger actress was like most of us as she was finding herself through her teenage years. She may have been (and still is) the face behind Lizzie McGuire, but she, too, had her own little pesters to deal with.
The humble star, who grew up in the spotlight, had to deal with insecurities of her own. In an interview with HelloGiggles, Duff spoke of advice she'd give her teenage self and said, "Hey, all that [insecurity] you’re feeling right now, just know that you’re like, super cool and no one else is feeling that way about you."
She could've never imagined that at such a young age, her entire life would change!
4 She Was Homeschooled
With an acting career on the horizon, Duff's mother made the decision to pull her out of public school and to have her educated at home. At the age of 8, her acting career was already rolling, so her mother dedicated herself to teaching.
Now a glowing (and busy) mother of three, like most parents, she's also on homework duty. However, that hasn't come without its difficulties for the Lizzie McGuire star. According to an interview with People, she often feels the pressures of her "different" and unconventional upbringing and faces them daily as she tries to help her son with his schoolwork.
3 The Big Break
The 33-year-old actress and former Disney star made a name for herself as the teen queen, Lizzie McGuire, but prior to that was her first huge onscreen role. Remember Casper the Friendly Ghost? If so, you may recall the second installment of the film, Casper Meets Wendy, which featured the adorable young blonde star in a red cape.
Only 5 years after her move to California, the budding actress knew she landed where she was supposed to be in the semi-animated 1998 classic children's Halloween film.
2 She Was Let Go
Shortly after her memorable role as Wendy, Duff was signed on to another role on the family sitcom, Daddio. She worked alongside big names, like Michael Chiklis, who vouched for the young talent. After working just one day with the starlet, Chiklis said of Duff, "This young girl is going to be a movie star." And, lo and behold, he was correct, however, things didn't go the young actress' way then.
It only took one episode before the producers made the decision to fire the young Duff - so much for giving chances!
1 Support System
Timing is everything! Thankfully, Duff had a great support system from day one, which is everything when you're an aspiring actress in Hollywood.
The news of being let go hit the star known for her eponymous role hard. Evidently, the actress was feeling discouraged and blue and just wanted to call it a day. However, according to Biography, Duff was encouraged to not give up, and rather, to flourish. Her mother, who we now know did everything for the actress to be able to solely focus on her acting career, pushed her to never give up on her dreams.
And as they say, "mama knows best!" Shortly afterward, she got the lead role in the incredibly successful Lizzie McGuire.
