Hilary Duff's Indie Makeover

In 2003, Hilary Duff was the preeminent teen queen; "Lizzie McGuire", her hit show on Disney, was still going strong, and her leap to the silver screen was also successful, with The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Agent Cody Banks, and Cheaper by the Dozen raking in a combined $229,287,329. On top of her acting success, Duff's debut album Metamorphosis was the eighth best selling album of the year with 2.6 million copies sold nationwide (it would go on to be certified 4x Platinum by 2004). Now an adult, Duff has survived the perils of teenage celebrity (witness the meltdown of one-time rival Lindsay Lohan to fully grasp the dangers of youth, money, and fame) sans DUIs, sex tapes, or nude photo scandals. However, her teen queen roles have begun to dry up; 2006's Material Girls, in which she co-starred with her sister Haylie, made just over $11 million, and her third album Dignity, though well-reviewed, vastly undersold her first two. At this point, many expected Duff to fade into obscurity like so many child stars before her.

Her career path took a surprising turn in 2007 when she signed on to appear in John Cusack's war satire War, Inc., turning more than a few heads. The role, that of overly-sexual Central Asian popstar Yonica Babyyeah, was a far cry from the girl-next-door performances on which she had made her name. It also marked her first major role in an R-rated film. Duff followed this provocative performance (in one infamous scene she puts a scorpion down her pants) with roles in three more independent films: What Goes Up, Stay Cool,and Greta. In What Goes Up, which won the Audience Award at the Buffalo-Niagara Film Festival and hit theaters May 29, 2009, Duff plays the charismatic ringleader of a group of outcasts circa 1986. Directed by Jonathan Glatzer, and co-starring Steve Coogan, Molly Shannon, Josh Peck, and Olivia Thirlby, the film further distanced Duff from both her teen roles and her fanbase. Next up was the Polish Bros. nostalgic comedy Stay Cool, which premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. Duff portrays a sexy high school senior who tempts leading man Mark Polish as Henry McCarthy. Greta is Duff's first main role since 2006's Material Girls; the film, co-starring Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn, focuses on the suicidal title character's summer with her grandparents and a blossoming romance with a former inmate (Evan Ross). The film, which was picked up at the Cannes Film Market earlier this year, is slated for a 2009 release.

Duff continues her indie makeover with three more films in the pipeline: an upcoming Bonnie & Clyde film, Provinces of Night based on the acclaimed William Gay novel, and A Great Education with Sir Ben Kingsley. One thing is for certain, Duff has officially moved on from her Disney past and her indie reinvention could very well have saved her career. Lohan would do well to take a page from her book.

Brandon Gray, Box Office Mojo