Hilary Duff

Her subsequent role in The Perfect Man (2005) and the reprisal of her character in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) combined accrued her second Razzie nomination for Worst Actress in 2005. The former, in which she co-stars with Heather Locklear and Chris Noth, "Duff plays her standard character—an introverted romantic who falls for a guy whose hunky exterior belies an artistic soul," wrote Matt Singer from the Village Voice. It was poorly received both critically and commercially. The latter, which was less successful as the original Cheaper by the Dozen, was panned by critics. "Duff just looks like she'd rather be in a different movie," wrote a harsh Mike Clarke from USA Today.

Additionally, the Duff sisters lent their voices to the computer animated comedy Foodfight! in late 2005, but the film has never been released. Duff paired with her sister again in the satirical comedy Material Girls (2006) but it was a flop, both commercially and critically, earning both sisters a shared Razzie nomination for Worst Actress, becoming Hilary's third consecutive nomination in this field in three years. The two were also nominated for Worst Screen Couple. Read Less

The company later expanded its business into furniture, fragrances and jewelry which were primarily targeted at the teen and preteen crowd but, by the end of 2008, "Stuff by Hilary Duff" was officially discontinued since Duff did not have full control of the line any longer. Read Less

Released on Duff's seventeenth birthday, her second studio album was the self-titled Hilary Duff (2004). This time, she was more involved in crafting of the album by co-writing songs, desiring it to be her departure from her young Lizzie McGuire image. The album takes a more rockier-edge than Metamorphosis, of which critics received negatively and compared her to Avril Lavigne and Ashlee Simpson. Despite its two singles "Fly" and "Someone's Watching Over Me" not being major hits, the album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 192,000 copies in its first week, and became her second consecutive number one debut in Canada. The self-titled album has sold 1.8 million copies in the US and was certified platinum by the RIAA.

Duff followed her self-titled effort with her first compilation album entitled Most Wanted (2005), which comprises three new songs, songs from her previous two albums and remixes. Most Wanted received mostly negative reviews from critics, who deemed the release as premature, stating that Duff did not have enough material to warrant a compilation. However, new songs "Wake Up" (which was written by then-boyfriend Joel Madden and his brother Benji – both members of Good Charlotte), "Beat of My Heart" and "Break My Heart" received favorable comments; critics believing that their dance-orientated sound stood out from the rest of the album. Most Wanted debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming her second number one in the US, and became her third number one debut in Canada. Read Less

She also has helped various youth charities and is a member of Kids with a Cause. Duff has also served on the Advisory Board of the Audrey Hepburn Child Benefit Fund and the Celebrity Council of Kids with a Cause. October 2008 saw Duff starring in a public service announcement for The Think Before You Speak Campaign by Ad Council and GLSEN to prevent youth from using anti-LGBT vocabulary, such as the phrase "That's So Gay." In July 2009, Duff was named as a Youth Ambassador to the children of the Colombian capital, Bogota. As a Youth Ambassador, she spent five days in the country, distributing backpacks filled with food to needy children.

A strong animal rights supporter, Duff has commented, when asked what she would do if not a celebrity, "I always wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger, but then I figured out that animals actually die there, so that was not the job for me. Definitely something with kids or animals or something like that." Read Less