Hilary Duff

Interview By: Andrea Tuccillo
AndreaTuccillo@TheCinemaSource.com

Light brown hair tucked loosely into a ponytail, a grape-colored tunic flowing over a pair of dark-wash jeans, polite smile firmly in place'Hilary Duff is just as sweet as her on-screen persona might suggest. She's looking a little more grown-up and more polished these days, but glimpses of her young girl innocence still show through in refreshing ways.

At a time when so many young stars are giving in to the enticing world of Hollywood parties and paparazzi posing, Duff shows that she can be successful in Hollywood by staying true to herself. Part of her down-to-earth nature may come from the fact that Duff always has family by her side, including her sister and best-friend Haylie whom she stars with in the new rich-girls-meet-the-real-world comedy, Material Girls.

Filming the movie together was not always something the siblings had planned, but when the opportunity came about to transfer that sisterly bond onto the big screen the girls couldn't pass it up.

'We always want to do things together because we're really close, but I don't think we were particularly looking for something,' says Duff. 'Then we were remembering that we had had this meeting a long time ago at Maverick and we were like, that would be great now. We're kind of at the perfect age and it was just a lot of fun. These girls are really like us in real life. They are in the fact that they're very close and they're sisters, but they are magnified and they love being in the public and they love attention. So it was fun poking fun at sort of what everybody thinks some people are like.'

Slipping into the roles of Tanzie, the younger more serious-minded sister, and Ava, the older free-spirited one, Hilary and Haylie felt right at home. Although both of them are pursuing similar careers as actress and singers, there is no competition'only support between the two of them. And to hear Hilary tell it, the close bond they share has always existed'from their childhood living in the lonely hill country of San Antonio, right up through their move to Los Angeles.

'When we came out to L.A. we didn't know anyone so when we met kids we met them together,' recalls Duff. 'Haylie'for some odd reason'I don't know why she's different but, most older siblings are not wanting to bring their younger sibling around but someone would invite [Haylie] over for a sleepover and she'd be like can I bring my little sister' I was always included.'

The Duff sisters may have fun together, but according to Hilary their Material Girls characters lead a more glamorized life, at least at the beginning of the movie.

'They are just as fabulous when they're at home and that's definitely not normal!' says Duff. 'That's not how we live in our real lives. That's something that kind of sets us apart.'

But Hilary may be showing a touch of modesty here, because with her marketable movie and chart-topping musical careers, along with scores of merchandise and endorsement deals, she certainly seems to be living quite a fabulous life. She's even blissfully in love with her rock star boyfriend, Joel Madden of the band Good Charlotte (who makes a cameo in the film with his twin brother Benji). She speaks of him with admiration and mutual respect.

'[Joel] wrote and produced a couple of songs that I had on my last album and they're really talented,' Duff says of her beau and his band mates. 'They can sit there and write a song in like ten minutes and come up with a hook that's really catchy. They're working on their new record now so I got to hear some of the stuff. We're really honest with each other.'

Hilary's own album of new material will be released this fall, and she's currently hard at work on the project.

'It's totally different than any of the music I have ever done before,' she says. 'I don't want to say its hip-hop because it's totally not but it's a little more not so pop-rock and a little more electronic sounding. It's not even completely written yet. I know it's coming out in November but I have to hurry. September is the month to get it all finished.'

Sure, Hilary's a multi-tasker, and she may seem like a workaholic for an average 18-year-old, but by no means is she in a hurry to grow up. In fact, she prefers taking life'and her career--in a slow, natural progression.

'So many people turn 18 and they just want to prove to everyone that they're not what people might assume that they are,' Duff says. 'And I am 18 and maybe I act a little older than my age because of my job, but that doesn't mean that I want to do some crazy role that may be more appropriate when I'm 25. 'Cause then when I'm 25 I want to have something to look forward to.'