Lindsey Lohan has opened up about the long battle she’s faced to be taken seriously as an actress, saying she was ‘pigeonholed’ by the roles that catapulted her to fame as a teenager.
The actress, 38, became a household name in the early 2000s thanks to blockbuster hits like The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday and Mean Girls.
But despite being recognised by critics and Hollywood heavyweights for her early talent, Lindsay said she struggled to move beyond the teen persona that was created for her, even as her acting matured.
Speaking to The Sunday Times Style Magazine, she was asked whether she ever felt ‘pigeonholed’ by her early roles, and Lindsay replied: ‘Yeah I do.’
She added: ‘Even today I have to fight for stuff that is like that, which is frustrating’, referencing the 2006 Robert Altman film, A Prairie Home Companion, that starred Meryl Streep and earned Lindsay praise for her dramatic performance.
‘Because, well, you know me as this – but you also know I can do that. So let me! Give me the chance. I have to break that cycle and open doors to something else, leaving people no choice.’
Lindsay Lohan has opened up about the long battle she’s faced to be taken seriously as an actress, saying she was ‘pigeonholed’ by the roles that catapulted her to fame
The actress (pictured during her childhood) became a household name in the early 2000s thanks to blockbuster hits like The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday and Mean Girls
The frustration of being typecast never left her, even after more than two decades in the business.
While her performances have often been lauded for their natural charisma and emotional range, the industry, she said, often failed to give her the space to grow.
Her roles in ensemble films like Bobby, and with legends like Meryl Streep, should have cemented her as a versatile leading lady but instead, she felt her career stalled as Hollywood continued to associate her with teen comedies and her personal life.
Now, with the upcoming release of Freakier Friday, the long-awaited sequel to the 2003 body-swap hit, and a lead role in the psychological thriller Count My Lies, which she is also producing, Lindsay is determined to shift the narrative for good.
This time, she wants the focus to be on her talent, not the tabloid legacy that overshadowed her twenties.
‘I miss films that are stories,’ she said. ‘Like All About Eve or Breakfast At Tiffanys. There are not many major movies I want to go and see that are like that — there’s a gap and I’m craving to do work like that.’
While she’s not shy about admitting that her own life experiences have shaped the way she acts, she says the journey back to the screen has been about waiting for the right moment – and the right material.
‘I wanted to take a minute,’ she explained. ‘I was losing that feeling of excitement about doing a film, and I wanted to live my own life for a bit. Figure out how to have a more private life, a real life. I wanted to wait to get that itch again.’
The actress was just 12, when she starred in the remake of The Parent Trap – her breakthrough leading role, about reuniting divorced parents
Freakier Friday – which is a sequel to the 2003 film – sees Lindsay and Jamie Lee Curtis embroiled in quadruple chaos as they swap bodies again – 22 years after they first traded places.
Shortly before the premiere last month, Jamie revealed the reason behind the long wait for the sequel.
Appearing on The One Show, Jamie revealed they had to wait until Lindsay’s character was old enough to have a teenage child for the sequel premise to work.
‘The truth is that Lindsay had to be old enough to have a 15-year-old daughter, people would ask me about the movie over and over again,’ she shared.
‘And finally someone in Australia said, ”well she is” and I was like ”what do you mean?” because I know her as this young girl so I don’t know how old she is.
‘So someone told me and I was, like ”Oh! well maybe we can make the movie. Let’s go!”’
Lindsay was just 15 years old when she first portrayed Anna Coleman in Freaky Friday alongside Jamie Lee, who played her on-screen mother Tess Coleman.
It follows the bickering mother and daughter after a Chinese restaurant fortune cookie mishap causes them to switch bodies, forcing them to live the other’s life.
Despite barely having been able to see eye-to-eye, the magical switch eventually allows them to see things from the other’s point of view.
The sequel will see the iconic pairing switch places once again, though this time there is quadruple chaos in store.
Anna (Lindsay) is preparing to tie the knot with to Eric Davies (Manny Jacinto), but things are proving difficult as her teenage daughter Harper (Julia Butters) despises Eric’s teenager Lily (Sophia Hammons).
Harper highlights her disgust as she’s heard reciting mock wedding vows, in which she brands her soon-to-be step-sister ‘a little demon thing with an obnoxious accent’.
Freakier Friday – which is a sequel to the 2003 film – sees Lindsay and Jamie embroiled in quadruple chaos as they swap bodies again – 22 years after they first traded places
A flash forward to Anna’s bachelorette party sees her and mother Tess Coleman sit down with a fortune teller (Vanessa Bayer), who warns them they may learn another lesson by ‘walking in each other’s paths’.
Anna and Tess then find themselves caught up in yet another ‘freaky’ body swap incident – only this time, it’s not just between the two of them.
The next morning, Anna discovers she’s swapped bodies with daughter Harper, while Tess, aka ‘Grandma’, is now in the body of Anna’s step-daughter Lily.
Quadruple chaos then ensues as the foursome try to navigate their new roles with just days to go until the wedding.
Chad Michael Murray is also returning to his role as Jake as the two teenage girls also hatch a plot to try and get Anna to reunite with her first love amid the wedding chaos.
