Hilary Duff was catapulted into stardom as the lead of Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire when she was just 13, and the franchise quickly expanded far beyond television—spawning movies, merchandise, video games, and a level of fame few teenagers experience. But now she regrets saying yes to too much when her career was at its peak.
“When the doors start opening, it’s very easy to think the right answer is always yes,” Duff told graduates of Northeastern University in her commencement address. “Yes to the next project. Yes to the next expectation. Yes to saying yes. For years, I said yes to almost everything because I thought that’s what you were supposed to do when you were lucky enough to have opportunities. You take them. All of them.”
But somewhere between commercials, appearances, and the relentless pressure to figure out “what’s next,” Duff began to realize that taking on every opportunity came at a cost.
“I realized just because something is a good opportunity or a good paycheck, it doesn’t mean it’s right. By simply accepting what the world was offering to me, I was losing my own voice,” the now 38-year-old added. “I was reacting instead of asking myself what I really wanted.”
In an uncertain job market, Duff tells Gen Z: ‘Choose what gives you room to grow’
