Interviewee: Hilary Duff
Interviewer: Fox News
Date: July 17, 2007

Hilary Duff is one of those rare Hollywood talents who could juggle acting and singing with equal aplomb. For a brief time, she was “tween” America’s ultimate idol, blazing the career trails now trodden by Miley Cyrus, et al.

Her popularity among preteens reached dizzying heights upon starring in the Disney Channel sitcom Lizzie McGuire. Playing the title role, Hilary Duff resonated with youngsters everywhere as a junior high student with an animated alter ego.

Premiering in 2001, Lizzie McGuire did wonders to Duff’s career. Aside from an instant part in a TV movie (Cadet Kelly), the show gave her a bankable sideline in pop music.

She began by recording a song for the series’ soundtrack, followed by another for the film The Santa Clause 2. In 2002, she released her own Christmas album, Santa Claus Lane.

Inevitably, Hilary Duff’s sitcom became The Lizzie McGuire Movie, which debuted second at the US box office in 2003. It was accompanied by a multiplatinum-selling soundtrack, yielding the chartbusting Duff single “Why Not.”

In the same year, Hilary Duff witnessed Metamorphosis, her first full-length studio album, grace the top of US charts. It sold three million copies domestically, on the strength of singles like “So Yesterday.”

By the time Disney ended Lizzie McGuire in 2004, Hilary Duff had become a major film actress, with appearances in Agent Cody Banks and Cheaper by the Dozen. She proceeded to star in A Cinderella Story and Raise Your Voice.

Metamorphosis was followed by 2004’s Most Wanted, yet another Billboard 200 #1 for Hilary Duff. Backed by hit singles Wake Up and Beat of My Heart, Most Wanted showcased an edgier sound, which she flaunted in an eponymous tour.

The next year found Hilary Duff starring in The Perfect Man and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. In 2006, she starred in War Inc. and Material Girls, opposite her sibling Haylie.

Hilary Duff returned to the recording studio for Dignity, which arrived in stores in 2007. Partly inspired by the end of her dalliance with Joel Madden, the album stunned Hilary Duff fans with its racy promotional videos.

Hilary Duff was born in Texas on September 28, 1987. A Cecchetti ballet dancer, she performed in a Christmas production of The Nutcracker with the Columbus BalletMet.

Hilary Duff debuted onscreen with 1997’s True Women. She further honed her acting prowess with Casper Meets Wendy, a direct-to-video movie released in 1998.