Hilary Duffis "coming clean" about being a child actor managed by her mother.
The formerLizzie McGuirestar appeared onMythical Kitchenon Monday and discussed the highs and lows of Hollywood youth, particularly the time she was "fired" from a television show at age 11 (and replaced by twins because they could work "double the time").
The perceived rejection was devastating for the preteen, and she believes being a child actor gets you "prepped way too soon" for that kind of harsh judgement.
It was her mother and manager, Susan Duff, who convinced Hilary to pursue her dreams — however, "I was never pushed into acting," she clarified toMythical Kitchenhost Josh Scherer. "My mom, you know, knew that my sister [Haylie] and I loved performing…. Back when I was doing it, no one was acting where I came from, so everyone thought it was like, 'She has a stage mom.'"
Duff's defense of her mother comes after fellow child star and former friendFrankie Munizlabeled Susan "the epitome of a stage mom" in a recent interview. "Hilary was so cool, we had an awesome relationship," he revealed, "but her mom was super intense."
In an October 2025 interview onThe Joe Vulpis Podcast, Muniz recalled his 2002 appearance onLizzie McGuire, when he was approached by Susan in his dressing room and pressed about his upcoming acting gigs.
"I go, 'Oh, I'm filming this movie where I'm playing like a junior James Bond. It's calledAgent Cody Banks,'" he recounted. "And she's like, 'Is there a girl that could be Hilary, that would be good for Hilary?' And I was like, 'Yeah, but I dunno.'"
The very next day, Muniz was back on theLizzie McGuireset when Susan shared the news with him: Hilary would be his co-star inAgent Cody Banks.
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"I looked at her and I went, 'No she's not!'" he told Vulpis. "She's like, 'No, yeah, yeah, she is. They signed the contract last night.' And I'm like, 'The movie you knew nothing about yesterday, you signed — how — it's not possible! it's not humanly possible.'"
As a result, the making ofAgent Cody Bankswas not quite the experience he had envisioned.
"I was very sad when Hilary's mom would come on set," Muniz confessed to Vulpis. "I'm being honest, you know what I mean? I'm old enough to where I realize I don't mind people knowing the truth."
And neither does Hilary. While onMythical Kitchen, she discussed paving the way forDisneystars-turned pop starsSelena Gomez(Wizards of Waverly Place),Demi Lovato(Sonny With a Chance), andMiley Cyrus(Hannah Montana) — who all became Hollywood Records chart-toppers just like Hilary.
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During those early years when she was the Disney superstar archetype, "It was really nice that I had my mom in the corner... for better or for worse," she confessed to Scherer, "I think there was obviously mistakes made and, like, a learning process, but it's hard to be like a family up against like a machine."
Check out more from Hilary Duff onMythical Kitchenbelow!
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