Hilary Duff Thinks Cadet Kelly Is A "Lesbian Love Story"

Hilary Duff would like to rewrite the narrative of Cadet Kelly. In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the actor-singer rewatched clips from some of her most iconic films, from The Lizzie McGuire Movie to A Cinderella Story. However, the film she wants to revisit the most is her 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie Cadet Kelly, in part to explore the film’s sapphic undertones.

Duff plays the titular role in Cadet Kelly, a carefree high schooler who must enroll in military school after her new stepfather becomes a commandant there. She quickly makes an enemy out of Cadet Captain Jennifer Stone (Christy Carlson Romano) when Kelly defies her rules and vies for the same hunky love interest.

However, in recent years, many viewers have argued that Kelly and Captain Stone actually had romantic tension. While rewatching the clip, Duff acknowledged the theory for the first time and seemed open to exploring their love story in a sequel.

“I don’t know if I should say this or not, but I know that the internet had this big thing that went on about… that this is really, like, a lesbian love story,” she said. “I’m just wondering why Disney didn’t wanna follow up with the number two, ‘cause 100%, it seems like it would’ve gone in a great direction for the sequel.”

Romano has also spoken out about the film’s lesbian subtext, telling InStyle in 2021, “We've always thought that there could have been an LGBTQ underlying thing there, but we're not sure.” And like Duff, she’s expressed a desire to explore it further in a sequel. “I personally believe that Jennifer Stone would be a really interesting character if she was married to a woman and she was the principal of a school,” she told PAPER.

Hilary’s Reaction To A Cinderella Story

In the Vanity Fair video, Duff also reflected on her 2004 rom-com A Cinderella Story, rewatching an iconic ballroom scene where her character, Sam, enchants her footballer crush, Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray), who doesn’t recognize her despite wearing a mask that covered only her eyes.

Duff revealed that her daughter Mae brought up the same question that viewers have asked for decades.

“My 4-year-old has watched this movie and also picked up on like, 'How could he not know it's you in that mask?’” she recalled. “I was like, 'It's the age-old question, honey.’ And she's like, ‘But it's you. You are right there. I don't understand. How does he not know?’ I'm like, ‘I know.’”