"Every day is
a surprise. I wake up and I can't believe this
is my job and I get to do this."
— Hilary Duff |
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News |
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July
21, 2005 |
from
mtv.com |
Hilary Duff, Joel Madden
Go Public
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A huge gossip vacuum has
suddenly been filled now
that it's clear Hilary Duff
and Good Charlotte singer
Joel Madden are, in fact, an
item.
They've been denying it for
a while, of course — even as
they've been collaborating
on the pop princess's new
album, Most Wanted, and been
spotted swanning around in
public together. Madden told
MTV Asia several months ago
that it was hard figuring
out their relationship,
which he characterized as
friendship, amid all the
media scrutiny (see "Good
Charlotte Strive To Be
Punk-Rock Outkast; Joel Says
Marriage Comment A Joke").
But when Madden accompanied
Duff during a visit to MTV
last week and called her
"baby" in front of a camera
crew, well, the jig was up.
So Duff, as her song says,
had to come clean.
"I'm really happy right
now," she said. "I think and
hope he is as well. I feel
really lucky to have him,
but we try not to talk about
it too much. We both think
it's so weird that people
put their relationship out
there. It's not even about
the work anymore. It's not
about music or acting or
whatever. It's about the
relationship. It's not
really what I got into this
business for, and I know
it's not what he got into it
for, so why? We both have
this same mentality that the
more you let people know
about it, the more they want
to know about it."
But while the couple may
want to take the Beyoncé/Jay-Z
route, Duff can't help but
sing Madden's praises. She
said she has grown "so much"
as a person and an artist
thanks to her association
with him and his twin
brother, Benji (see "Cheaper
By The Duo? Hilary Duff
Teams Up With Madden
Brothers For New LP"). Duff
views them as "an
inspiration" because they
work hard, believe in
themselves, and don't "let
anyone control them." Duff's
been dealing with this
particular issue as she
grows into adulthood. She
was "feeling really
controlled," she said, and
was trying to figure out how
to bust loose. Working with
Madden without first
informing her label was one
such step. "Joel told me
stories about scaring people
into not messing with them.
I can't do that," she
laughed. "Look at me. I'm a
little blond girl. But they
can."
She also admires Joel's
talent, claiming he has the
ability to whip out a song,
"even as a joke," in 10
minutes flat. "I learned so
much more about music," she
gushed. "Joel has totally
changed my taste in music,
friendships and loyalty.
He's changed me and my
friendships."
Duff hopes this particular
friendship won't become
tabloid fodder. "I'm pretty
absent from a lot of what
goes on," she said. "It's a
choice. When you're a young
person in the public eye,
it's a real easy one. I go
to clubs, but there's a
front door and a back door,
and it's how you want to be
seen. A lot of people
complain, but you don't have
to [make your private life
public] if you don't want
to."
Still, the
are-they-or-aren't-they
nature of their relationship
long gave people enough to
gossip about even if she
didn't want them to,
especially since Duff is
only 17 while Madden is 26.
Many speculated this was the
reason they were keeping it
quiet: Duff is underage for
another two months.
"Everything you do is talked
about, picked apart, put on
a little perch, or trashed,"
she said. "There's so much
controversy over so much,
even if it's not scandalous,
even about what you're
wearing. People make so many
comments; it's hard to deal
with. I'm just trying to
figure out who I am." |
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