Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer.
After gaining fame for her starring role on the television show Lizzie McGuire, Duff went on to have a film career, and her most commercially successful pictures include Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), and A Cinderella Story (2004). She reportedly earned $15 million in 2005.[1] Duff has expanded her repertoire into pop music, with three RIAA certified-platinum albums and over thirteen million albums sold worldwide,[2] and she has launched a clothing line (Stuff by Hilary Duff) and an exclusive perfume with Elizabeth Arden.
Her upcoming films include the 2007 action thriller War, Inc. and animated comedy Foodfight!. Duff's new album entitled Dignity, was released in April 2007.
Early life and career
Hilary Duff was born in Houston, Texas, the second child of Bob Erhard Duff, owner of a chain of convenience stores, and Susan Colleen Duff, a homemaker. After Duff's mother encouraged her to take an acting class alongside her older sister, Haylie Katherine Duff, both girls won parts in various local theatre productions. At the ages of eight and six, respectively, the Duff sisters participated in the ballet The Nutcracker Suite with Columbus Ballet Met in San Antonio. The siblings became more enthusiastic about the idea of acting professionally, and eventually relocated to California with their mother. Bob Erhard Duff stayed at the family home in Houston to maintain their business. (Susan and Bob separated in 2006.)[3] After several years of auditions and meetings, the Duff sisters were cast in several television commercials.[4]
Television
Early work
Most of Duff's first few acting roles were small, starting off with an uncredited appearance in Hallmark Entertainment's western miniseries True Women (1997). She also served as an extra, again uncredited, in writer-director Willard Carroll's ensemble dramedy Playing by Heart (1998). Her first major part was as the star of the 1998 film Casper Meets Wendy, playing the young witch Wendy, who encounters the animated character Casper. Like Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997), the second sequel to the successful Casper (1995), the film was released direct-to-video with generally unenthusiastic reviews.
Duff later appeared in a supporting role in the television film The Soul Collector (1999), which was based on a Kathleen Kane novel and starred Bruce Greenwood as an angel who helps out a female farmer (Melissa Gilbert) whose husband has recently died. Duff won a Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot (Supporting Young Actress)".
Duff portraying Lizzie McGuire.
Duff portraying Lizzie McGuire.
Duff's first serious shot at fame came when she was cast as one of the children in the pilot episode of the NBC sitcom Daddio (2000). Actor Michael Chiklis, co-star of Daddio stated, "After working with her the first day, I remember saying to my wife, 'This young girl is going to be a movie star'. She was completely at ease with herself and comfortable in her own skin."[4]
Lizzie McGuire
Before Daddio had aired, Duff was dropped from its cast lineup and became reluctant to continue her acting career. Her manager and mother spurred her on, and a week later she successfully auditioned for the family comedy show Lizzie McGuire. In the series Duff portrayed a clumsy but average middle school girl. The show focused on her life and her slow growth into teenhood. Actors that starred alongside her included Lalaine, Adam Lamberg, Jake Thomas, Clayton Snyder, Ashlie Brillault, Robert Carradine, and Hallie Todd.
Lizzie McGuire, which first aired on the Disney Channel in January 12, 2001, was a ratings hit, drawing in 2.3 million viewers per episode,[4] and became the career breakthrough Duff had been waiting for. Her participation in the show led to her becoming highly popular among children between the ages of seven and fourteen, with critic Richard Huff of the New York Daily News calling her "a 2002 version of Annette Funicello."[4] After Duff fulfilled her entire sixty-five episode contract with Lizzie McGuire, Disney toyed with the idea of continuing the franchise in further films and a prime-time television series to be broadcast on ABC, but the plans deteriorated. A successful feature film spin-off, The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), was produced.
Other
During her time on Lizzie McGuire, Duff starred opposite Christy Carlson Romano and Gary Cole in the Disney Channel television film Cadet Kelly (2002), which became the network's most watched program in its nineteen-year history.[4]
Duff has made several guest appearances in television shows, her first as a sick child in the medical drama Chicago Hope in March 2000. In a 2003 episode of George Lopez she had a role as a makeup salesperson, and she later reappeared in the show in 2005 as a feminist poet friend of Carmen (Masiela Lusha), a character whose poetry had roots in the work of Simone de Beauvoir, Toril Moi, and Ranjit Hakim. She acted opposite her sister Haylie as the 1960s pop group The Shangri-Las in American Dreams in 2003, and played a classmate and idolizer of the title character of Joan of Arcadia in a 2005 episode. During her Most Wanted tour, she performed in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she filmed a brief appearance on the soap opera Rebelde. She will also guest star on The Andy Milonakis Show for its third season premiere in 2007. Duff also makes a claymated apperence on the popular celebrity wrestiling series Celebrity Death Match, on March 23rd, 2007, taking on Lindsay Lohan. The claymated Duff mentions the feud they had between Aaron Carter. Duff ends up killing Lindsay in the end (note the actresses were voiced by different people).
Film career
Duff's first role in a theatrical motion picture was in Human Nature (2002), an independent film shot before Lizzie McGuire and first shown at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. Written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry, the film follows a female naturalist, played by Patricia Arquette. Duff played the younger version of Arquette's character.
2003–2004
Her first major role in a feature film was in the family action film Agent Cody Banks with Frankie Muniz in 2003. The film received positive reviews and was successful enough to spawn a sequel, in which Duff did not participate. Afterwards, Duff reprised her role as Lizzie McGuire for The Lizzie McGuire Movie, which exceeded box office expectations.[citation needed]
Duff in an ad for The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
Duff in an ad for The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
Later that year Duff played one of the twelve children of Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt in the family film Cheaper by the Dozen, which remains her highest grossing film. She reprised her role in the sequel to the film called Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), which failed to be as financially successful as the original film and was panned by critics.
In 2004 Duff starred in the romantic comedy A Cinderella Story, an update of Charles Perrault's fairy tale Cinderella. The film became a moderate box office hit, and though reviews were mostly negative, some critics were impressed by Duff's performance and her chemistry with co-star Chad Michael Murray. A Cinderella Story earned $66,068,046 worldwide and was a commercial success.[5] Later that year she starred in the film Raise Your Voice, her first starring role in a drama film. Some critics praised Duff for appearing in a more dramatic role than previously, but the film was heavily panned, with the Las Vegas Weekly writing: "Effortlessly combining Duff's bad acting and bad singing with bad writing and bad direction, Raise Your Voice is an insulting waste of time that begs to be silenced."Several reviews were negative to Duff's vocals (several critics pointed out what appears to be her digitally enhanced voice[6][7][8][9]) and indifferent towards her acting performance. The film received a muted reception at the box office, and is Duff's least successful film commercially, with total theater receipts of just $13,573,284.[10] Duff received her first Razzie nomination for her role in Raise Your Voice.[11]
2005–2006
Duff pictured with sister and co-star Haylie Duff in 2006 film, Material Girls.
Duff pictured with sister and co-star Haylie Duff in 2006 film, Material Girls.
In The Perfect Man (2005) she played the oldest daughter of a divorced woman (Heather Locklear), who moves to New York City as she desperately searches for love. Reviews were mostly negative and the film disappointed at the box office, grossing $19,770,475 globally.[12] That year, Duff was again nominated for a Razzie Award, for both The Perfect Man and Cheaper by the Dozen 2.[13] The 2006 satirical comedy Material Girls, in which she co-starred with her sister Haylie, also disappointed, grossing only $14,189,525 worldwide.[14] The Martha Coolidge-directed film, co-produced by Madonna's independent film production company Maverick Entertainment, starred the Duffs as wealthy siblings who must fight to reclaim their fortune following a scandal. For the film, Hilary was nominated for another two Razzie awards.[15]
2007–2008
The Duff sisters are due to lend their voices to the computer animated comedy Foodfight!, which Lions Gate Films is to distribute in 2007. The film's director, Larry Kasanoff, said that he is "absolutely thrilled to have the Duff sisters as part of the cast."[16] Duff is currently slated to star opposite John Cusack in War, Inc., due for release in late 2007. The film is set in a futuristic country and Duff plays a European pop star named Yonica.[citation needed] Cusack stated that he enjoyed working with Duff and that "she is awesome in the movie".[citation needed]
Duff is also due to work on a second movie with Cusack, the sci-fi/action thriller Talking with Dog. Little is known about the film, although its theme revolves around a future that faces some extreme consequences of global warming (including human infertility).[17] Filming is set to begin in 2007, with a 2008 release date.[citation needed]
Music career
2002–2004
Duff recorded a cover of Brooke McClymont's "I Can't Wait" for the original television soundtrack for Lizzie McGuire in 2002 (see Lizzie McGuire (soundtrack)), and "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" for the first DisneyMania compilation album.
Duff's 2003 album, Metamorphosis.
Duff's 2003 album, Metamorphosis.
Her first album was Santa Claus Lane (2002), a collection of Christmas songs which included duets with Lil' Romeo, Christina Milian, and her sister Haylie. Accompanied by the Disney Channel-only single "Tell Me a Story (About the Night Before)", it peaked well outside the top 100 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart, but eventually received a gold certification. The track "Santa Claus Lane was included on the soundtrack to The Santa Clause 2 and another song, "What Christmas Should Be", was used in Cheaper by the Dozen. Duff sang several tracks for the 2003 soundtrack to The Lizzie McGuire Movie (see The Lizzie McGuire Movie (soundtrack)), including "Why Not", which became a modest top twenty hit in Australia.
Audio samples:
* "Santa Claus Lane" (2003) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o First single from Santa Claus Lane.
* "So Yesterday" (2003) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o First single from Metamorphosis.
* "Come Clean" (2003) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o Second single from Metamorphosis.
* Problems playing the files? See media help.
Duff's second album and first studio album, Metamorphosis (2003), included contributions by songwriter-producers such as The Matrix and reached number one on the U.S. and Canadian charts. It became one of the biggest selling albums of the year in the U.S. and has since gone to sell over 3.7 million copies.[18] The lead single, "So Yesterday", was a top ten hit in several countries and its music video received heavy airplay on MTV, while "Come Clean" became Duff's first top forty U.S. hit and reached the top twenty elsewhere. The third single, "Little Voice", was not released in the U.S. and was a minor hit in Canada and Australia. In late 2003 Duff embarked on her first concert tour, the Metamorphosis Club Tour and later the Most Wanted tour. All shows on the tour were sold out, a feat neither Britney Spears nor Christina Aguilera achieved that year.
The second DisneyMania disc, DisneyMania 2, was released in January 2004 and contained a duet with her sister, "The Siamese Cat Song". Another song, "Circle of Life", featured Duff and other Disney Channel stars. Duff and her sister recorded a cover of The Go-Gos' "Our Lips Are Sealed" for the soundtrack to A Cinderella Story, which included two other songs by Duff.[19] The video for "Our Lips Are Sealed" was popular on MTV's TRL but the song itself failed to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Duff's 2004 album, Hilary Duff.
Duff's 2004 album, Hilary Duff.
Duff co-wrote several of the tracks on her third album, the self-titled Hilary Duff, which she said had an edgier, rock feel than Metamorphosis. It was released on her seventeenth birthday (in September 2004) and debuted at number two in the U.S. and number one in Canada. The album sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. in eight months,[18] but the single "Fly" failed to chart in the U.S. despite a popular video. "Fly" and "Someone's Watching over Me" reached the Australian top forty, but because the album was less successful than Metamorphosis, no other singles were released commercially. Duff also contributed the song "(I'll Give) Anything But Up!" for Thanks & Giving : All Year Long album (2004) with Marlo Thomas & Friends for Atlantic/Wea. She then continued nine more months of the Most Wanted Tour.
Audio samples:
* "Fly" (2004) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o First single from Hilary Duff.
* "I Am" (2004) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o Popular single from Hilary Duff.
* Problems playing the files? See media help.
2005–2006
Duff's fourth album, Most Wanted (2005), comprised her favorite tracks from her previous two albums, remixes, and new songs inspired by pop-rock musicians such as The Killers and Muse. Duff stated that it was not a greatest hits album, but that her label told her it was time to release a new album. She had more creative control over Most Wanted compared to her previous releases, co-writing the new material with producers Joel Madden and his brother Benji, both of the band Good Charlotte. The lead single, "Wake Up", became Duff's highest highest peaking single on the U.S. Hot 100 at the time, and its video received heavy rotation on MTV. The video for the second single, "Beat of My Heart", was also popular, but the single itself did not chart in the U.S. The album itself debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and became her third number-one debut in Canada. By March 2006, it had sold 1.3 million copies in the U.S.[20] An Italy-only compilation, 4Ever, was released in 2006.
Duff performing in 2005.
Duff performing in 2005.
Duff recorded new songs for her Madonna-produced film Material Girls, including a Timbaland-produced cover version of Madonna's "Material Girl" with her sister.[21]
Audio samples:
* "Wake Up" (2005) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o First single from Most Wanted.
* "Beat of My Heart" (2005) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o Second single from Most Wanted.
* Problems playing the files? See media help.
2007
For Duff's third studio album, Dignity, she co-wrote material with Kara DioGuardi, who co-produced the album with Rhett Lawrence, Richard "Humpty" Vission, Tim & Bob and others. She said that compared to her previous music it would be "more dancey" and make use of more real instruments. "I don't know exactly how to explain what we're doing, but it's fun and funky and different, something new for me. It's really cool", she said.[22] She has also described the album's sound as "a little less pop-rock and more electronic-sounding".[23]
Duff's 2007 album, Dignity.
Duff's 2007 album, Dignity.
The first single, "Play with Fire", became a minor club hit but failed to chart in the U.S.; the second single, "With Love", was released in early 2007 and was more successful, becoming Duff's biggest U.S. Hot 100 hit. The music video for "With Love" has also been used as the commercial for Duff's first fragrance, With Love... Hilary Duff, which was lauched in September 2006; the video reached number one on Total Request Live. Initially slated for release in late 2006,[24] the album was released in April 2007 in North America and earlier elsewhere. It has reached the top three in the U.S. and Canada (charting at number three in both countries), the top twenty in Australia and the top forty in the UK. A tour is currently being planned in support of the album.
Entrepreneurship
Duff launched a clothing line, Stuff by Hilary Duff, in March 2004, with clothes distributed through Target in the United States, Kmart in Australia, Zellers in Canada and Edgars in South Africa. The company started out as a clothing line but has expanded to furniture, fragrances, and jewelry. It is aimed at the teen and preteen crowd.
Playmates Toys released a celebrity doll of her in 2004.[25] In September 2006 Duff released her perfume, With Love... Hilary Duff, which she premiered on The View.[26]
Duff and her pet dog Lola made an appearance in the Electronic Arts game The Sims 2: Pets, which was released on October 2006. In console versions of the game Duff's character will visit public areas and players will be able to let their sims socialize with her and Lola, the dog. However, in the PC expansion pack, players must download the Duff sim from the Maxis website before December 31 she and her dog will be fully playable characters, rather than a non-player character.[27] Duff, along with celebrities Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson have been criticized for their displaying of the dogs as fashion accessories rather than pets.[28]
Personal life
Duff began dating singer Aaron Carter in 2002. They met on the set of Lizzie McGuire, when Carter had a cameo role on a Christmas episode. The relationship lasted a year and a half. It was reported that Carter left actress Lindsay Lohan for Duff. Carter said he also cheated on Duff with her best friend, that Duff "got her heart broken" and that he is "sorry" for his actions.[29] Duff and Lindsay Lohan were later reported to have been involved in a "feud" with each other, over their relationship with Carter.[30]
As of 2007, Duff and Lohan are reconciled. Lohan attended the release party for Duff's album Dignity and Duff told People magazine that she thought Lohan was "fun" and "a nice girl".[31]
Duff began dating Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden in 2004.[32] Duff's mother Susan announced their relationship in the June 2005 interview for Seventeen magazine, after a long period of tabloid speculation.[33] In a June 2006 interview with ELLE magazine, Duff was quoted as saying "...(virginity) is definitely something I like about myself. It doesn't mean I haven't thought about sex, because everyone I know has had it and you want to fit in."[34] Duff later told MuchMusic that she didn't say the quotes attributed to her in the article and that the subject was "definitely not something that I would talk about..."[35] Duff and Madden broke up in November 2006.[36]
In late 2006 Duff took legal action against an alleged stalker and the stalker's roommate.[37] On November 3, 2006 Duff's stalker, Maksim Miakovsky, was arrested for threatening to kill her that weekend. He was booked on charges of making criminal threats and stalking. He came to the U.S. "for the sole purpose of meeting and becoming romantically involved with Ms. Duff." Miakovsky is currently being held on $200,000 bail at the Manhattan Beach jail. He was arraigned on November 7, 2006.[38] On January 19, 2007 Miakovsky was sentenced to 117 days in jail and five years probation after pleading no contest to the charges, according to the Associated Press.[39]
Duff is involved with several charities, is an animal rights enthusiast, a member of Kids with a Cause,[40] and has donated US$250,000 to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.[41] In late August 2006 Duff traveled to a New Orleans elementary school and worked with USA Harvest to distribute meals. In 2005 she donated more than 2.5 million meals to Hurricane Katrina victims in the south.[42]
In August 2005 Duff said she received veneers because she chipped off one of her front teeth on a microphone during a concert.[43] She subsequently had her veneers redone to match the size of her original teeth.[44][45] By 2005 Duff appeared to have lost weight, leading the media to speculate that she had developed an eating disorder, although Duff has denied this claim.[46] Duff was interviewed on the Australian current affair show Today Tonight and stated that she lost weight by living a more active lifestyle.
Later, an article on Digital Spy stated that in 2006, Duff slimmed down to a U.S. size zero because of the media reporting she had gained 15 pounds.[47] She recently said she has been feeling pressure to be thin, stating that she's perceived in the media to be either too fat or too thin. Duff called this "judgmental and mean".[48]
Lizzie McGuire is a popular Disney Channel Original Series that aired on the Disney Channel from 2001 to 2004. Its target demographic was preteens and adolescents. The TV show was created by Terri Minsky. The show's creatively offbeat, mixed media format stands out from the rest of the Disney Channel's programming of the time - and in essence, it became the channel's flagship show of its time, and a definitive show of the early 2000s. The show's producer Stan Rogow says the visual look of the show was partly inspired by Run Lola Run. The show finished production in early summer 2002.
Main Characters
Lizzie McGuire in "Rumors".
Lizzie McGuire in "Rumors".
* Elizabeth Brooke "Lizzie" McGuire, played by Hilary Duff: Lizzie is a self-conscious seventh grader, and an eighth grader in the second season. She deals with everyday issues, such as what to wear to make Ethan Craft notice her, or how to deal with enemies like Kate Sanders and Claire. Gordo has a crush on her throughout the course of the show.
Miranda Sanchez in "Picture day"
Miranda Sanchez in "Picture day"
* Miranda Isabella Sanchez, played by Lalaine: Miranda is Lizzie's other best friend who rounds out the main triumvirate. She's also the rebel of the three. But in the end, Lizzie's always there to have her back. She does not appear in the last six episodes of the show, or in the Lizzie McGuire Movie.
David "Gordo" Gordon
David "Gordo" Gordon
* David Zephyr "Gordo" Gordon, played by Adam Lamberg: Gordo is Lizzie's best friend since she was one day old. Usually, he offers sarcasm and good advice. He is very intelligent and always gets good grades. He is also revealed to be of the Jewish faith as shown in one episode where he has a Bar Mitzvah. In the episode "The Untitled Stan Jenson Project", it was revealed that Lizzie had a crush on him in the fourth grade.
Matt McGuire and his friend Lanny
Matt McGuire and his friend Lanny
* Matthew "Matt" McGuire, played by Jake Thomas: Matt is Lizzie's younger brother. As a stock character, he often is destroying something, and has a best friend named Lanny, who doesn't talk (on screen). Matt is clever and wily, and has a bad reputation for getting into trouble.
Jo McGuire in When Moms Attack
Jo McGuire in When Moms Attack
* Jo McGuire, played by Hallie Todd: As a mother to Lizzie, she is always trying to make Lizzie's life better but the results come out as trying to make Lizzie's life worse (to her) and far more embarrassing.
* Samuel "Sam" McGuire, played by Robert Carradine: Sam is Lizzie's father. He's goofy and tries to make everyone feel better.
[edit] Secondary Characters
* Kate Sanders/Saunders (Ashlie Brillault) is the most popular girl in Lizzie's school. Once one of Lizzie's best friends, Kate became Lizzie's enemy after she became popular because she got a bra after summer camp was over. Kate likes trying to make Lizzie's life impossible to live, but Lizzie always manages to really outsmart Kate and always comes out on top. References in episodes are inconsistent about her last name.
* Ethan Craft (Clayton Snyder) is the boy who Lizzie, Miranda, and the rest of the girls at school have a huge crush on. He's not so bright but he's kind and friendly to everyone. In Season 1, he was portrayed as more of The Bad Boy. For example, he used to force Gordo do things against his will. At the beginning of the series, Danny Kessler was the "crush boy" instead, but he was not heard from again after the first few episodes.
* Lawrence "Larry" Tudgeman (Kyle Downes) A school dork who is basically treated like an outcast by everyone except by Lizzie and her friends. He has also been known to wear the same shirt since the second grade.
* Claire Miller (Davida Williams) Kate's new best friend who is also not very kind to Lizzie. She can sometimes even be unkind to her friends including Kate as shown in the episode "The Rise & Fall of The Kate Empire."
* Lanny Onasis (Christian Copelin) Matt's best friend who has never spoken on screen, but yet he communicates with Matt without any difficulties.
* Melina Bianco (Carly Schroeder) Matt's friend who loves getting Lanny and Matt into trouble and eventually becomes his girlfriend. She is first introduced as Matt's enemy, but they both begin to have feelings for each other.
* "Mr. Dig" Digby Sellers (Arvie Lowe Jr.) Lizzie's cool laid-back teacher. In his lessons he often implies that he has educated celebrities like Frankie Muniz and Christina Aguilera.
Minor Characters
* Eduardo and Daniela Sanchez (played by Armando Molina and Dyana Ortelli)
Miranda's parents.
* Howard and Roberta Gordon (played by Michael Mantell and Alison Martin)
Gordo's parents, who are both psychiatrists.
* Parker Mackenzie (Chelsea J. Wilson)
Parker is another girl who is crushed on by Gordo. She is a vegetarian as shown in the episode "Obsession."
* Danny Kessler (Byron Fox)
Lizzie and Miranda's first heart-throb. He appeared on the first few episodes and then was never seen again. He was mentioned in the episode "My Fair Larry."
* Veruca Albano (Rachel Snow)
A nerdy girl who is very rough. She appears once in Season 1 and then appears lots of times when Lizzie is in the 8th grade.
* Amy Sanders/Saunders (Haylie Duff)
Kate's cousin. She is exactly as mean as Kate in every way.
* Coach Kelly (Dot Jones)
Lizzie's P.E teacher.
* Principal Tweedy (Phill Lewis)
Lizzie's school principal.
* Mr. Escobar (Daniel R. Escobar)
One of Lizzie's teachers.
* Two Big Guys
Sam's best friends. Two big fat guys that own a pet chimp named Frado. Lizzie also saves one of their lives in "Rated Aargh!".
[edit] Animated Lizzie
Animated Lizzie holding a globe (i.e., "The world on Lizzie's shoulders")
Animated Lizzie holding a globe (i.e., "The world on Lizzie's shoulders")
Animated Lizzie is an animated character in the show. She represents the title character's inner thoughts, addressing the audience directly in the manner of a Greek chorus. The show wasn't the first series to use animation to reflect a live-action character's innermost thoughts, however; Student Bodies, a syndicated program about the struggles of a cartoonist for a school newspaper, often used the artist's surrealistic caricatures of himself and his friends to visually illustrate his interior monologues. Animated Lizzie is also voiced by series star Hilary Duff.
[edit] List of episodes
Main article: List of Lizzie McGuire episodes
As the title would suggest, the show is about Lizzie McGuire and her middle school adventures with her two best friends, Miranda and Gordo. Their adventures range from light humor topics such as dealing with crazy teachers to serious issues such as anorexia nervosa. While the show usually depicts a rather equal relationship between the threesome, Lizzie and Gordo have always felt a certain attraction towards each other. However, since they have known each other for their entire lives they prefer to keep their relationship at a friendship level. However in the last season Gordo finally admits to liking Lizzie, in which Lizzie responds with a kiss.
The show often has a subplot involving Matt, and his friends Lanny Onasis and Melina Bianco. Lanny is something of Matt's sidekick, and is never heard to speak as part of a running gag. Melina is less of a friend, and is constantly critical of Matt. Towards the end of the season, however, she became Matt's girlfriend.
The show has had many special guest appearances, among them Aaron Carter, Frankie Muniz, David Carradine, Doris Roberts, Shelley Berman, Steven Tyler and Erik Estrada.
[edit] Spin-offs
A movie based on the show, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, was released on May 2, 2003. It was second at the box office in its opening week behind X2: X-Men United.
The show was cancelled after 65 episodes, which is reportedly a Disney policy for all of its series, although that has changed now, benefitting shows such as That's So Raven and Kim Possible. Also, Duff's representatives have said she wasn't getting paid enough for a proposed spin-off taking Lizzie into High School on ABC. It is said that Duff's mother was impossible to deal with, demanding huge increases in pay from the original episodes.
There have also reportedly been proposed plans to launch a cartoon series based on Lizzie's animated alter ego, but no such thing appears to be under development at the present time. There were also proposed plans to launch a spin-off based on Miranda's sister, known either as Stevie Sanchez or What's Stevie Thinking, but despite persistent rumors it was never scheduled to air; sources differ on whether a pilot or other episodes were ever made.
It was announced in late May, 2006 that WGN Superstation will carry Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens in syndication which began on September 18, 2006. As a result, Disney Channel has stopped airing both shows except for their holiday episodes. The sites on Disney Channel.com devoted to the shows are still accessible but not linked on the site's main menu.
[edit] Trivia
* Cast members Adam Lamberg, Robert Carradine appeared in the movie Max Keeble's Big Move
* Sara Paxton was considered for the role of Lizzie before Hilary Duff auditioned. She later made a guest appearance in "Lizzie for President". Lindsay Lohan, as well, was considered for the role, and both she and Sara Paxton were both proudly presented to Disney as their top choices.
* Lalaine, the actress who played Miranda, stopped appearing on the show towards the end of the final series. Miranda, however, was still mentioned in the show storylines as being on vacation in Mexico or "out sick" even though she never was on the screen. The actress does manage to appear in the final episode which aired in February 2004, but that episode actually filmed earlier than the ones in which she does not appear.
* In the episode "When Moms Attack", the teams are Tagi and Pagong. These are the same team names as the tribes in Survivor: Borneo.
* There is a montage in every episode.
* The house set in the pilot "Pool Party" is different from the one in the rest of the series.
* Hilary Duff's sister Haylie Duff appears in the episodes 'Clue-less', 'Xtreme Xmas' and 'Party Over Here' as Kate's cousin, Amy.
* Hilary Duff (Lizzie) and Davida Williams (Claire) played roles in Raise Your Voice, this time as friends, not enemies. Kyle Downes (Larry) also had a small part in the movie in the beginning.
* The middle school Lizzie goes to looks exactly the same as the school in That's So Raven and Phil of the Future.
[edit] Merchandising
The character of Lizzie continues to be merchandised by Disney (see Lizzie McGuire books), especially through a large set of books, which include novelizations of the episodes, original Nancy Drew-style mystery stories in the Lizzie McGuire Mysteries series, and "Cine-manga" pictorial adaptations (published by TOKYOPOP) with still shots from the show presented in manga style. A Lizzie McGuire doll was even released in 2002 by Dakin Toys. The 10" doll featured many of Lizzie's outfits for the doll. A plush doll of the Cartoon Lizzie was also made by Dakin in 2002. Fortune magazine estimated in 2003 that "Lizzie McGuire" merchandise had earned the Walt Disney Co. nearly $100 million. Radio Disney continually promotes Lizzie McGuire and regularly (although not as often as when the show was still running) gives away the show's CD in giveaways.
The Volume One DVD set of Lizzie McGuire. The only full-length DVD release to date, in the U.S.
The Volume One DVD set of Lizzie McGuire. The only full-length DVD release to date, in the U.S.
Several home video and DVD versions of the show have been released in various countries. In the United States, some thematic episode collections were first released, and later a DVD box set consisting of 22 episodes from the first season (mostly, but not entirely, corresponding to the first 22 episodes in production order). This is designated as "Volume 1", but no current plans are known for the release of volumes 2 and 3 of the series, and poor sales of the first box set may prevent further releases. As of (April 2006), a box set of 12 DVDs with all the 65 episodes of the show is available in Spain, and box sets (grouped into three 22-episode "seasons") are available in Australia and the UK.
Lizzie-themed toys were included in a 2004 McDonald's Happy Meal series, which included CD-ROM discs containing Lizzie-related games and graphics and audio versions of "Lizzie" (not voiced by Duff) reading stories based on episode plots of her show.
There is also a Lizzie McGuire bedroom set offered by some furniture stores as one of several Disney-themed children's bedrooms, and a What Would Lizzie Do? board game where players must judge Lizzie's likely response to various situations. Three Lizzie McGuire video games have been released for the Game Boy Advance: Lizzie McGuire: On the Go (2003), Lizzie McGuire 2: Lizzie Diaries (2004), and Lizzie McGuire 3: Homecoming Havoc (2005).