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Haylie Duff

“Once upon a time I was a shy young thing. Could barely walk and talk so much as dance and sing. But let me hit the stage, I wanna take my bow… ‘Cause mama, I’m a big girl now.”

The words Haylie Duff sings in the Tony award-winning Broadway smash Hairspray ring true for this once painfully shy little girl who has blossomed into a big girl any mother would be proud of. Already a regular on America’s longest running family drama, 7th Heaven, co-starof last year’s Madonna-produced Material Girls, and accomplished singer-songwriter, 22-year-old Haylie made the seamless transition to live theatre when she debuted at the Neil Simon Theatre in 2006 as Amber von Tussle in the cult classic.

But Haylie’s no stranger to cult classics. Three years ago, after reading a script that she found “hilarious” when others “just didn’t get it,” Haylie landed the part of popular girl Summer Wheatly in a little indie flick called Napoleon Dynamite, and earned a Teen Choice Award for her performance.

Having a keen sense for the right next move, however, is something for which she boasts a bit of a proven track record, as it was 11-year-old Haylie’s incessant pleading that convinced her mom, Susan, to move their family from San Antonio, Texas, to pursue a life beneath the promise of the Hollywood sign. For Haylie and her younger sister, teen pop sensation Hilary Duff, it was a move that has paid off many times over. With the pinnacle of acting accolades—thriving under the bright lights of Broadway—under her thespian belt, Haylie can take her cue from Amber and sing it loud: “Mama, I’m a big girl now.”

MD: There are certain sisters the world is fascinated by. Venus and Serena, Mary-Kate and Ashley, Haylie and Hilary. People want to know what it’s like to be part of a dynamic duo like that.
HD: The thing that’s so special about it, especially in this business where it can be so cutthroat and difficult sometimes, is that it makes things so much easier to deal with to know that we always have somebody watching our back and looking out for us.

MD: So you are close? It’s the real deal—not a put-on for the cameras?
HD: We definitely are very close in real life. We’re a very close family. My mom actually lives three houses down from us.

MD: You and your sister actually live together? With how many dogs?
HD: Yes, we really do live together. And we have four dogs. Well, five, because my mom has one that kind of goes back and forth from her house to ours.

MD: Who is who?
HD: Jack, the Yorkie, is our new one. He’s a rescue. Most of them are, really. And I have Bentley; he’s my Pomeranian. We have Coco Channel, he’s a Chihuahua, and then we have Lola, another Chihuahua. My mom’s dog is Macy; she’s a little black Pomeranian. Bentley was a rescue, too. And Coco was my grandma’s but she got sick so we adopted him.

MD: And where do so many dogs sleep?
HD: In our beds, of course! They literally rule the house.

MD: You and your sister have worked together a good bit—recorded together, done TV, movies, toured together . How’s that been professionally? Good times? Stressful times?
HD: It’s actually the easiest of times! We love working together. On a set sometimes you want to say something to another actor like “I wish you would give me more of this or that” but you can’t because you don’t really know them. When you’re working with your sister, you can say: “Hey, try this like this” or “Do this like that.” It’s so nice knowing you’re really not going to hurt their feelings. And the same goes for them with you.

MD: I read that for a while you were doing 7th Heaven by day and Broadway by night.
HD: Yes. I went through that for a couple of months when I was living in New York. We would film my scenes in New York because Hairspray was doing eight shows a week. I didn’t have weekends off, so we filmed my scenes out in Astoria, outside of Manhattan, and they just cut my scenes together with everyone else’s in LA.

MD: What does it feel like to be waiting for the curtain to rise on your opening night on Broadway?
HD: Intense. I had never done theatre before. Originally when I got the audition, I flew out to New York with my mom and didn’t really know if it was something I wanted to do just because it really scared me. So I decided that if I got it, I’d think about it then. After I got it, one of my girlfriends told me: “You have to do it because it scares you.” And so the curtain call for the opening night was the biggest rush ever. But really, every night was like that.

MD: I know you’ve worked with some incredible women. Who would you consider to be a role model professionally?
HD: Anjelica Huston is a perfect example. I remember being on set with her [in Material Girls] and feeling like this is what we do this for. She’s so professional and unbelievably talented and yet at the same time, she’s not wrapped up in all the things that come along with this life. She’s very down to earth and there’s no attitude. She’s also an amazing director, which is ultimately what I would love to do. Being around her, I was so inspired every day.

MD: In an interview promoting Material Girls, Hilary described your characters as “careless party girls.” In light of the recent negative publicity some of Hollywood’s younger celebs have experienced, do you and Hilary make it a point to stay grounded? You seem to really have it together.
HD: Thank you so much. Even if we wanted to get into trouble, it wouldn’t last long. My mom would be right there saying: “What do you think you’re doing?!” She keeps us in line. You know, we love to go out to clubs and to hang out with friends, but we know there’s a time for that and a time to be focused. When the line gets blurred between the two is when I think you find yourself in trouble.

MD: So how fun was it to be a part of a project like Napoleon Dynamite? Did you have any idea it was going to be such a hit?
HD: For me, that was such a great experience. You know, we shot the movie for like $350,000. When they first read it, a lot of people didn’t get it. But every time I read it, I thought it got funnier and funnier. And I just thought there was something really wonderful about characters that weren’t predictable, and there was no “potty” humour. It all came back to comedic timing and just simple, funny characters. And that was refreshing. That was what made me want to do it so badly.

MD: It’s quite cool to be a part of something that has had such a big impact on pop culture, I am sure.
HD: You know, it’s really special. Because that rarely happens anymore.

MD: What role would you say you have been most proud of so far?
HD: I am really proud of my role on 7th Heaven. I think Sandy Jameson is such a…well, she’s not a good example and yet she is in some ways. She always makes mistakes and then she tries to overcome them.

MD: 7th Heaven premiered in 1996. Did you watch it when you were younger? What’s it like for you now to be part of an American institution?
HD: I did watch it. And that’s what was so funny when I started working on the show. I came to the set the first day, and I was like: “I’ve seen this a million times! I grew up watching this show!” The people are amazing; the most incredible people to work with. Cast and crew. There’s not a bad person on that show. And I think that’s what makes it what it is. People really are happy to do their jobs; happy to be there.

MD: Based on your experience and your sister’s experience, if you ever have kids one day…
HD: You mean other than my dogs?

MD: Yes, other than those kids. If they came to you and said they wanted to get into show business, would you support it? Or have you found it too hard to balance a “normal” teen life with the demands of the industry?
HD: Yes and no. I think if I had kids I would support them. I think it’s all in the way you handle yourself and how involved parents are. Everywhere we go, every set we are on, my mom’s involved somehow. I think you can get in trouble when you don’t have a parent or guardian looking out for you.

MD: What’s next for you?
HD: I just finished writing a song for my sister’s album. I’ve worked on her last couple of albums. I have a movie coming out soon called My Sexiest Year, with Harvey Keitel. And I just finished filming a movie in Vancouver for Lifetime.

MD: If you could have dinner with one person from the present or the past to talk to all evening, who would it be?
HD: I’d have to pick two: Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy. They were so philanthropic. They used their gifts in life to actually do something for the world. They cared about making a difference. And the pressures, what they went thRough as far as being in the public eye like they were. It’s fascinating.

MD: And they were also fashion icons. Are your dogs into the whole fashion thing? What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever bought your dogs?
HD: We’ve bought a lot of crazy stuff for them. We went through a phase for a while of buying them all these different carry bags. And Coco and Lola each wear diamond tags. That’s definitely the craziest purchase. As for clothing, Coco will wear a sweater every once in a while because he gets cold. But Lola really likes dresses and stuff. She is kind of our fashion-forward baby.

MD: Just like her two moms.