Hilary Duff Remembers Her “Terrifying” Villain Co-Star

For many people who grew up in the early 2000s, Jennifer Coolidge wasn’t first discovered through her award-winning role in The White Lotus, but much earlier, in a teen classic that shaped an entire generation. A Cinderella Story, released in 2004, introduced a young audience to Coolidge’s unforgettable brand of comedic villainy.

She played the perfectly exaggerated, self-absorbed stepmother opposite Hilary Duff, who was just 15 at the time and already one of Hollywood's brightest young stars. While Duff had plenty of acting experience by then, she now admits that sharing scenes with Coolidge sometimes felt a bit overwhelming.

Coolidge’s commitment to the role of the spiteful stepmother was so strong that Duff occasionally needed to take a mental step back and remind herself that the cruelty she was seeing was purely scripted.

In a recent conversation with Variety, Duff looked back on the experience with a mix of amusement and admiration. She explained that Coolidge had such an effortless command of the character that it was both inspiring and, for a teenager on a big production, slightly unnerving.

“It was impressive to watch her work,” Duff said, recalling how she sometimes had to steady herself during intense scenes.

Even though everything happening was part of the story, Coolidge’s energy could feel strikingly real in the moment.

Hilary Duff recalls Jennifer Coolidge’s playful on-set “meanness” feeling real at 15.

Duff laughed as she described how Coolidge played up the meanness exactly as the role required. As a young actress stepping into a major film, being on the receiving end of that performance, complete with pointed glares and sharp one-liners, made a few days on set feel a bit more serious than expected.

There were moments, Duff shared, when she had to pause, breathe, and say to herself, “You’re making a movie. This isn’t real.” Years later, she can enjoy the memories fondly, especially now that Coolidge’s career has risen to incredible new heights.

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The timing of Duff’s reflection is fitting, as she’s entering a busy and exciting chapter herself. Alongside revisiting her early work, she’s preparing to release her upcoming album Luck… or Something, scheduled to drop in February 2026. It marks her much-anticipated return to music, and fans who have followed her since her teen-pop era have been waiting for this moment.

To celebrate the launch, Duff is planning a short but highly personal tour titled Small Rooms, Big Nerves. Instead of large arenas, she’ll be performing in more intimate venues across four major cities: London, Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles. The tour is set to begin in January 2026 and is designed to give her longtime listeners a close-up experience, something she hasn’t done in quite a while.

Hilary Duff returns to the stage with new songs, old favorites, and the live-show energy she’s been missing.

In a press statement announcing the tour, Duff expressed her thrill at stepping back into the live-performance world. She shared that the mix will include brand-new tracks from the upcoming album as well as some fan favourites from earlier in her career—songs she knows people still cherish.

“I’m over the moon to be stepping on stage again,” she said, adding that she can’t wait for audiences to come together and sing along.

She also acknowledged the time that has passed since her last shows and said she genuinely misses the energy and connection of live music.

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With a new album on the horizon and a fresh tour around the corner, Duff is embracing a vibrant new phase. Looking back at her early acting days, including those intense moments opposite Jennifer Coolidge, only highlights how far she’s come and how much she continues to evolve - both as an actor and as a musician.