Hilary Duff Reveals Which A-List Co-Star She Was Seriously Afraid Of on Set: “She Was Mean To Me”

Hilary Duff recently opened up about being intimidated by Jennifer Coolidge while filming the 2004 teen movie A Cinderella Story.

The “Lizzie McGuire” star spoke to Page Six about her experience working with Coolidge, who played the wicked stepmother Fiona in the modern retelling of the classic fairy tale.

“By the way, it’s just so much fun to watch her career,” Duff, 38, said of Coolidge. “She just goes there in such a big way that it was really impressive and slightly intimidating as a teenager.”

Duff recalled that Coolidge, 64, stayed in character on set and was strict toward her, which made the young actress nervous. “And she was mean to me, so it was a little scary, ’cause I was only like 15 and she was just, you know, mean to me ’cause she’s my evil stepmother,” Duff said.

The actress admitted that Coolidge’s commitment to the role was so strong that she had to remind herself it was just acting. “At the time, I was like … I had to be like, ‘You’re filming a movie. You’re filming a movie,’” Duff explained.

A Cinderella Story, directed by Mark Rosman and written by Leigh Dunlap, also starred Chad Michael Murray and Regina King.

The movie tells the story of two internet pen pals planning to meet at their high school Halloween dance. Released on July 16, 2004, it grossed $70.1 million worldwide on a $19 million budget and became a cult classic despite mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 11%, and on Metacritic, it has a score of 25 out of 100. CinemaScore audiences gave it an A− rating.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!