Lizzie McGuire star Lalaine is recounting the rise and fall of Disney Channel in a new audiobook.
According to People, Lalaine, 37, who starred as Miranda Sanchez in Lizzie McGuire from 2001 to 2004, will narrate the audiobook for journalist Ashley Spencer’s new book, Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire.
The novel, which is set to release on September 24, discusses how the network reinvented itself into a “powerhouse tween network” after letting the stars of their Mickey Mouse Club revival – Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling and more – slip through their fingertips. According to the book’s description, Disney High will feature hundreds of interviews with former Disney executives, creatives and celebrities.
“It’s a pleasure to be a part of Disney High’s journey into the audiobook world,” Lalaine told People on Thursday, June 20. “I’m honored to narrate this for Ashley and I’m looking forward to sharing these stories with fans in a whole new way.”
After ending her role as Hilary Duff’s best friend in Lizzie McGuire, Lalaine went onto star in movies such as 2005’s Her Best Move, 2009’s Royal Kill, 2010’s Easy A and 2020’s Definition Please. She also released an EP, Haunted, in 2004.
Although Lizzie McGuire ended in 2004, two episodes of a reboot were filmed in 2020 before Disney canceled the show due to reported issues with the content.
“She had to be 30 years old doing 30-year-old things,” Duff, 36, told Women’s Health in 2022 of the failed reboot. “She didn’t need to be doing bong rips and having one-night stands all the time, but it had to be authentic. I think [the network] got spooked.”
In January, writer Jonathan Hurwitz discussed the reboot — and what the storyline was planned to be for Lalaine’s Miranda.
“We talked a lot about adult Miranda and her being a musician was part of the discussion, so someone who was on tour with a band,” Hurwitz, 46, explained in a TikTok video at the time. “Her being queer was also part of the discussion, so you likely would have met the woman that she was in a relationship with.”
Hurwitz went on to explain that he was unsure about Lalaine’s involvement in the canceled project.
“I really don’t know if casting ever reached out to her,” he shared. “All I do know is that her manager and I happened to be at the same event and he came up to me and said that Lalaine was open to being involved, so I’m hopeful that we could have had her involved.”
While Lalaine has moved on from Disney Channel for the most part, in 2019, she reflected on growing up as a person of color in an industry that she claims “forced” her to appear more “white.”
“Most of my life growing up I was forced to look as ‘white’ as possible. These days I struggle to find photos where I look as ethnic as possible,” she shared in an Instagram post.
Clayton Snyder, who played Ethan Craft on the Disney Channel series, responded to Lalaine’s claims in the comment section.
“You were the first person to open my eyes to the role of race in casting,” he wrote. “When I asked why you didn’t use your last name. Said it was too Hispanic. Made me sad.”
