Hilary Duff is reflecting on how ready she was to leave Lizzie McGuire behind after 'The Lizzie McGuire Movie' in 2003. In a recent interview with Paper magazine about filming the movie, she said she was 'pretty done' with Lizzie at the time. Duff noted that she had filmed 30 episodes in one year and 35 the next, became a huge star and was constantly called Lizzie. She said that going to Italy to make the movie left her feeling finished with the character and wanting people to see her, adding that it was not fun anymore.
The movie features 'What Dreams Are Made Of,' which Duff re-recorded for her 2026 '(Mine)' EP and sang live for the first time on the 'Small Rooms, Big Nerves' Tour this year. She said singing it now feels much better and lets her join the celebration of what the song meant to people and what it means to her now. Duff added that she does not want to sound ungrateful, but she was exhausted by the experience at the time as she tried to create Hilary Duff separate from Lizzie. She recalled reaching a point where she thought she would never sing the song again and noted that it was not originally her song to sing, but now she feels it is.
The '(Mine)' EP features seven newly re-recorded versions of her greatest hits, originally included as bonus tracks on vinyl variants of her 'Luck… or Something' album. Looking back, Duff said she would love a redo and called the period crazy. She said she is glad the material resonated with people years later and that when she performs it now she feels 'in this,' whereas back then she felt she 'wasn't in my body yet.'
Duff starred as Lizzie McGuire on the Disney Channel show, which debuted in January 2001 and also starred Lalaine, Adam Lamberg, Jake Thomas, Hallie Todd and Robert Carradine. The series ended in 2004 with 65 episodes total, plus the film.
Sources: Variety.