Hilary Duff Says Iconic Teen Star-Studded 2003 ‘Vanity Fair’ Cover Was Anxiety-Inducing
Hilary Duff doesn't have the fondest memories of posing for what has gone down in history as an iconic magazine cover.
In 2003, Vanity Fair called upon some of the most popular teens of the era for a star-studded piece. The It's Totally Raining Teens issue featured Amanda Bynes, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Mandy Moore and Duff on the cover, while Alexis Bledel, Evan Rachel Wood, Raven Symone and Lindsay Lohan appeared on an extended fold-out.
Inside the pages of the magazine, Duff posed for another photo while having a playful pillow fight with Wood and Lohan.
Other stars who appeared in the shoot and were featured in the story included Aaron Carter, Shia LaBeouf and Harry Potter trio Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
While many who came of age at the time may remember the issue as a timeless piece of pop culture history, the "Come Clean" singer recently... well, came clean about the shoot in another interview with Vanity Fair.
"I remember being like, ‘This is cool I was included in this,’" Duff said while hooked up to a lie detector. "But no, this was a very high stress, anxiety-inducing day.”
Check out the interview below. The It's Totally Raining Teens segment appears around the 5:35 mark:
While Duff did not specify why the shoot was so stressful, BuzzFeed notes that drama between her and fellow cover-star Lohan might have fed into the tensions. At the time, the teen queens and their alleged beef dominated tabloids and teen 'zines thanks to rumors about their relationships with Carter.
Although the legendary cover wasn't a personal career high for her, Duff did find something positive to say about the experience. In particular, she highlighted her placement next to Moore on the cover.
"Mandy and I are great friends now, so this is very funny," she explained.
Interestingly, the Lizzie McGuire star is not the first person to call the photo shoot a bad experience. Wood admitted it was far from ideal in a series of since-deleted tweets, according to E! News.
"I was almost in tears after this shoot. They tried that dress on me, I wasn't comfortable but they told me there was no time," the actress said. Wood added that her preference for flats over heels was also totally ignored.
"I was 15 and felt for the first time my identity being erased and the pressure…to shut up and do what you are told. I felt like meat. Since then, I have found my voice. Never again," she added.