Hilary Duff Reveals What Would Have Happened on the Now-Canceled Lizzie McGuire Revival Series

Hilary Duff Reveals What Would Have Happened on the Now-Canceled Lizzie McGuire Revival Series

Hilary Duff is reflecting on what might've been had the highly-anticipated Lizzie McGuire revival not been canceled.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Duff opened up about what the titular character was supposed to go through on the now-scrapped series.

"My character was moving back home with her parents because she caught her soon-to-be fiancé cheating on her," Duff, 34, told the magazine. "She was falling flat on her face at the moment and being like, 'I need to pivot because everything that I thought was wasn't, and I'm turning 30. What the f--k?'"

Asked whether she ever thought about leaking the two filmed episodes, Duff said: "I would be lying if I didn't say I didn't have those thoughts a few times. But I wouldn't."

RELATED: Disney Fired Lizzie McGuire Showrunner Because Reboot Was Too 'Adult': Report

"In my 34 years, I've realized that everything does happen for a reason," she continued. "There's a time and a place for everything. It just wasn't her moment. I'm constantly asked about it still. All it does is breathe life into the fact that people still want it, and that's really sweet. It's not dead, and it's not alive."

Lizzie McGuire aired for two seasons on the Disney Channel between 2001 and 2004. It also spawned a 2003 theatrical film titled The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

hilary duff lizzie mcguire
hilary duff lizzie mcguire

Krista Niles/AP/Shutterstock

While there had long been discussions of spinoffs in the time since the series wrapped, one starring Duff and the original cast was eventually confirmed in 2019 with Disney+. But shortly after it was announced, Duff revealed in December 2020 that it was not moving forward.

"I've been so honored to have the character of Lizzie in my life," she previously wrote on Instagram. "She has made such a lasting impact on many, including myself. To see the fans' loyalty and love for her, to this day, means so much to me. I know the efforts and conversations have been everything trying to make a reboot work, but sadly [and] despite everyone's best efforts, it isn't going to happen."

"I want any reboot of Lizzie to be honest and authentic to who Lizzie would be today. It's what the character deserves," she added. "We can all take a moment to mourn the amazing woman she would have been and the adventures we would have taken with her. I'm very sad, but I promise everyone tried their best and the stars just didn't align. Hey now, this is what 2020's made of."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Last May, the Younger alum said that it only made sense for fans to see Lizzie "acting like a 30-year-old in a modern world" on the revival, but that Disney wanted a more family-friendly program.

"I think they are really trying to figure out what kind of content they want living on Disney+, and that doesn't totally align with, like, where I see Lizzie right now," she said on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show. "I'm very protective of her and they're very protective of her."

Although reviving Lizzie McGuire didn't work out, Duff did score the leading role on Hulu's new How I Met Your Father series. It's a sequel series to the former CBS hit, starring Josh Radnor.

"It really has a lot of heart, it's funny, and it's a little dirty. There are really special moments," she told Newsweek of the new show, which premiered Tuesday. "The original show had that where you're tugging at heartstrings, but then we're all gonna laugh, it's just a classic sitcom. But they also promised me this is not just your run-of-mill sitcom, it's going to be a hybrid, we're going to be filming on the streets of New York, it's going to be more grounded."

How I Met Your Father's first two episodes are now streaming on Hulu.