Why Christy Carlson Romano Isn’t In Touch With Disney Channel Stars

In a recent interview, Christy Carlson Romano explains why she’s no longer in touch with her former Disney Channel co-stars. Romano was a familiar face on the kids-and-family-oriented channel in the early aughts with starring roles on the TV series, Even Stevens, and the TV movie, Cadet Kelly. On the former, Romano played Ren Stevens, the high-strung older sister of Shia LaBeouf’s Lewis Stevens, from 2000 to 2003; in the latter, she tersely ordered Hilary Duff around military school as the no-nonsense Cadet Captain Jennifer Stone.

In addition to her live-action roles, Romano was also the voice of Kim Possible on the Disney Channel animated series of the same name. Romano recently returned to the world of Kim Possible in a live-action movie reboot, this time as a new character, a pop-star called Poppy Blu. The actress and singer has been appearing in the news of late due to her popular YouTube channel, where she posts candid videos about her life and invites fellow Disney Channel alums to join her for nostalgic reaction videos and culinary experiments. The videos have been a hit among millennial audiences eager to hear their childhood idols joke and speak honestly about their experience in the Disney Channel universe.

In an interview with Vanity Fair where she dishes about her child star days and their aftermath, Romano gets into the reasons why some of her better-known costars have yet to appear on her Youtube channel. Romano remains fond of her old cast mates and says that she’d welcome them on her show; however, neither Duff nor LaBeouf have joined Romano for videos. Unfortunately, she gets the impression that many of those who have declined to appear may not be as interested in talking about their past. Read what Romano said below:

I honestly think we’re a little scared of each other. Some people that I really wanted to be on the [cooking] show said no because they didn’t even want to lean into their past. They’re scared to. They’re afraid of their past. And I think that speaks to unresolved issues with their past. It must, right?

Romano maintains in the interview that she believes “Disney treats its kids fairly,” although she’s wary about getting kids into the entertainment industry at all. She expands on these subjects in videos on her channel, specifically recent videos titled “Why I Don’t Talk To Shia LaBeouf” and “Why Child Fame Is So Dangerous.” In the latter, she clarifies that she and LaBeouf weren’t as close during filming as they appeared on screen, although she did care about him. She opens up about dealing with feelings of jealousy and resentment during and after filming and concludes that the two have since grown apart. LaBeouf is currently in treatment after being sued by his ex-girlfriend, musician FKA Twigs, for sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress in December 2020.

As for Duff, Romano has yet to expand on their relationship in detail. Duff’s absence from the YouTube show may simply be due to her busy work schedule. Duff is currently working on a gender-swapped adaptation of How I Met Your Mother titled How I Met Your Father in which she stars as the lead, Sophie. In 2019, it was announced that the Lizzie McGuire star would return to her breakout role in a much-hyped reboot of the series that was later canceled in December 2020 due to creative differences. That Duff signed on to reprise her most recognizable Disney Channel role suggests she’s not afraid to reckon with her formative years, so it seems less likely that she’s avoided reconnecting with Romano for the same reasons as LaBeouf or other former child stars may have.

Source: Vanity Fair

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