Hillary Duff, from teen idol to inspiring new couple relationships

Guillermo Azabal Los Angeles (USA), 17 Mar At the age of 14, Hillary Duff enchanted an entire generation of children with her role as Lizzie McGuire; two decades later, she stars in the series “How I Met Your Father”, a fiction in which she shows her followers - as an adult - a modern vision of love and relationships. Duff (Houston, United States, 1987) takes the baton in this spin-off production of the iconic “How I Met Your Mother”, based on Josh Radnor (Ted Mosby in the series)'s account of his two teenage sons about how he met their mother. “This is a different series, which does not seek to imitate the first one and that tells a totally different world”, acknowledges the actress in an interview with Efe. The original work began airing in 2005, had nine seasons and was able to get a huge volume of fans who grew personally to lemon that series. Now, the American interpreter accepts the challenge of satisfying a demanding audience and says that she knows she is “aware of the great responsibility”. CONSOLIDATED EARLY SUCCESS OVER TIME The road to success has led Duff to be the visible face of this long-awaited “spin-off”, but before this some even thought that it could end up being another broken Hollywood toy. It would not have been the first case because of the precocity with which fame came to him and the important public exposure that surrounded him. Something that, according to Duff herself, at times became “very stressful”. She was 10 years old when she made her first appearance on the big screen thanks to the film “Casper Meets Wendy”, and hence to stardom with Lizzie McGuire on Disney Channel. A series that was on the air from 2001 to 2004 and in which, rather than acting, could be perfectly narrating the usual doubts and problems of a period such as adolescence that she herself experienced at the time. However, she continued her young acting career with her feet on the ground and combining it with countless projects she has developed over the past 17 years. Pop-rock singer, designer of her own fashion line sponsored even by the firm of Dona Karan (DKNY), brought out her own perfume and wrote a series of novels for teenagers. For Duff, this professional and personal growth is mainly due to her family: to her three children and to her current husband, producer and DJ Matthew Koma. “Matthew is a big fan of the original series, I feel what the previous one meant and it involves significant pressure,” explains Duff, who reveals that “although I knew all the characters”, he didn't see the original production “so religiously”. SENTIMENTAL DESCRIPTION OF A NEW WORLD In “How I Met Your Father”, Duff plays Sophie, a thirty-year-old who tries to find the perfect man and ends up with a new group of friends. Duff describes the character he plays as “an adorable girl, endearing and determined to be loved”. What starts with the search for a conventional relationship ends up being the sentimental description of a society adapted to the new times of dating through applications, different sexual orientations and a freer concept of love. “We are in 2022 and many things have changed in the way we relate, to deepen our sexuality and we have a more inclusive world,” he says. A fiction series that, in addition to entertaining, will presumably have a notable impact on the almost 21 million followers with what, on social networks alone, Duff tells. The actress shares the cast in this production with Chris Lowell (Jesse), Josh Peck (Drew), Kim Cattrall (Sophie), Tom Ainsley (Charlie) and Francia Raísa (Valentina). The latter, also present in the interview with Efe, states that it is “a pleasure” to work with Duff because “everything he touches turns into gold”. The first season of “How I Met Your Father” premiered at the end of January on the video-on-demand platform Hulu and, following the hosting of its initial ten episodes, the second one with twenty new episodes is already being recorded. CHIEF gac/bpm/cpy (photo)