Hilary Duff guest stars on Community this Thursday night in the episode, “Aerodynamics of Gender” as the ultimate mean girl. It’s quite a change from her long line of super sweet characters. Hilary had a lot to say about her new guest spot and more in a recent conference call interview with us press in the blogosphere. Check it out after the episode description.

After a classroom smackdown with a group of “mean girls” led by Meghan (guest star Hilary Duff), Britta (Gillian Jacobs), Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), and Annie (Alison Brie) bond with Abed (Danny Pudi) by turning him into the ultimate “mean girl.” Meanwhile, Jeff (Joel McHale) and Troy (Donald Glover) embrace a zen-like spirituality under the guidance of a groundskeeper when they come across a secret trampoline on campus. Determined to uncover the source of their new bliss, Pierce (Chevy Chase) ends up taking a disastrous turn on the trampoline and lands in the hospital. Ken Jeong also stars.

Photo by: Harper Smith/NBC

COMMUNITY

You’re playing a very different character in Meghan from what your fans have seen you as in a lot of other roles. Was there something that attracted you particularly to this role?
You know what? I think I just like to have fun, you know? It was a different character, which was exciting for me to get to play. And it was only a few days out of my life. So it was fun to just kind of like jump into that. I’m also a really big fan of the show, and that was very enticing to me, too.

Is there any chance that you’ll reprise the role in the future?
I would love to. I think that’s one of the great things about the show is they bring their guest stars back quite often. So, you know, if they wrote some more, like, you know, more of a storyline for Meghan I think I would, of course, come back. I had a great time.

What do you love best about Community?
Well, it’s quirky and it’s funny and I think the actors really get to shine in it. And, you know, I got to work with Danny Pudi who is so, so funny, and Ken Jeong and Gillian is so sweet and nice. And I think it’s just – it’s nice to have a show that’s so – such a, like, a unique prop base, like done at a community college, and Joel McHale obviously is hilarious. I think it’s unique.

What’s your favorite characteristic about Meghan?
Let’s see, I mean, I think that it was fun for me to get to play a mean girl because it is so different than anything I’ve ever done before. But she is like – it was fun to play a character that’s super – acts super confident but is totally, you know, shallow and scared inside. You know, she really gets Danny Pudi’s character on the show really like – brings out like her weakness, like chinks in and I thought that was really fun to play, to get to be kind of tough but you do see how weak she is inside. And that, you know, being the most popular girl at a community college is important to her. I thought that was really funny.

Can you tell us a little more about your character Meghan, as far as how she’s a mean girl?
Sure. The episode is funny. Basically what’s happening is everyone at school is kind of being bullied by Danny Pudi’s character who turns into kind of a robot. And he comes up with the greatest insults. So the girls are kind of being attacked, like the mean girls, like (Billie Ann) and some of the others. They’re being kind of – they’re like the outcasts, right, and the mean girls are taking over and kicking them out of their spots at lunch and taking over the good seats in class and so on and so on. And so Danny Pudi kind of comes into their clique and just like mutilates everyone with these horrible insults. And he’s very good at it. So my character kind of gets put in her place because he’s a robot and you can’t really like – you can’t really fight against that, you know, because he’s way better. So she, you know, has this big scene where – or I have this big scene where I walk into the school cafeteria and call him out and everybody hears and he ends up really embarrassing me and I leave. And obviously status is very important to my character, Meghan, and we just go back and forth the whole time, it’s very funny because they’re in community college, you know, like they’re old enough to know better. But it’s everything to them in their world. And that’s just one of the examples. And then his character actually ends up helping me regain my status and it’s…obviously the cast is hilarious and I can only imagine off camera, how funny it must be working with them.

So are there any memorable moments?
Yes, there’s a few. It’s pretty hard to keep a straight face around those people. And you know what? They really love each other, which is nice. We work really long hours on that show and they are like a very tight knit family. So that was great to just walk into, you know, everyone being there like (completes) me and accepting and whatever. Danny just dances his way through life. It’s so funny. He’ll just be standing there doing nothing and all the sudden just start wiggling. And it’s hilarious. And Ken Jeong actually, a lot of my scenes are with him, and he – there’s this scene where I’m storming out of the cafeteria and I’m really embarrassed and he is laughing so hard that he squirts milk out of his nose and he calls it a snarf. And it was so disgusting and hilarious at the same time. And he was really doing it. It was amazing. But he walks out – I walk out and he blows the milk out of his nose and he’s like, “Oh, my God, that girl looks exactly like Haylie Duff.” And it wasn’t written or anything, but I thought it was hilarious, like I almost fell down to my knees like his delivery and everything was so, so funny. And my sister loves him. So when I told her that story she was like, That’s great.

What was it like for you to go back to TV after some time away?
It was great. It’s, you know, I had done Gossip Girl last year, so I think getting that little taste of TV again made me miss it in a way. And then also I think it reminded me that the hours are really long. But it was in a good way. You know, everyone on set was very close and so I miss that like kind of family community and knowing that you’re going to see the same people each day, you’re going to be able to come home and sleep in your own bed at night. You And I guess that was it. I mean, I would definitely do TV again if the right project came along, but it is such a commitment that I wouldn’t do it unless I knew it was like 100% what I was going to be – like a character that was fun for me and challenging and that I got to, you know, enjoy going to work every day.

Is it easy for you to fit in with the cast or do you sometimes get nervous or intimidated trying to fit in with an established cast?
You know what? I think that it’s always a little scary walking into a new environment that people see each other every single day and, you know, work together. So they kind of know how to banter off one another in a scene. You know, there’s definitely a little bit of scary territory that comes with that. But they – especially the Community cast were so sweet and welcoming and just super outgoing. You know, then they like – you can tell they hang out offset and they’re good friends and they’re just total goofballs. They get to have so much fun on the show because it’s so quirky and off beat. It kind of made it easy for me to jump in there and have fun with them. But yes, it’s a little scary, you know…

When you first arrived on set were there any mean girls that you used as inspiration to get into character? How did you prepare?
Oh, no, nobody was mean on set. But I don’t know, I’ve never gotten to play a mean girl and so it wasn’t that I had to do so much preparation it was just exciting to play something different, you know, and I’m trying to think. I don’t think it’s that hard for girls to be able to play mean because everyone’s had someone be mean to them before or know what it’s like to be snotty, you know. It was really fun actually.

How much fun was it to trade insults with Danny? Were you able to freestyle or did you have to stick to the script?
We did a little bit of both. We did a few takes where we stuck to the script and then – so it was a more structured. They actually have a very good work ethnic
over there. They do about five takes of just doing it the way it is in the script,
and then they let you have fun with it. So the scene still has like structure, but then, you know, for take seven to eight you’re like really having – you’re really getting in the flow of everything and getting to bounce off the actors and just come up with stuff that feels funny…which is great because Danny and Ken Jeong, who I worked with most were – they’re just total goofballs. So it was fun.

You say something about his mom being raped by a Muppet. Never thought I’d hear you say that one before. Do you have trouble saying stuff like that without laughing?
Yes, and especially because in that one scene – in most of the other scenes that I have with Abed, with Danny, he’s giving it back to me. But in this one he’s like kind of turns into a robot or whatever. So his robot has shut down and he’s decided to not be mean anymore. So I’m throwing these insults at him and he has like the saddest look on his face. And it made me feel really bad when I was doing it. Because I say like, “Oh, you look like a lizard whose mom got raped by a Muppet.” And make fun of his clothes and it’s like in front of the whole cafeteria I call him out. So it made me feel bad but sometimes I would laugh because his little face would But it was fun. You know, I’ve never – I haven’t really done anything where I got to be a bitch before. So it was exciting.

Did your husband get a chance to visit you on set?
You know what? He was already in Pittsburgh at the time, because that’s where he’s playing hockey this year. But he was so excited when I told him I was doing the show. So many guys in my life, like a lot of my guy friends love the show and I totally got respect for doing it, like… You know, they’re so used to me and everything that I do, they don’t really care anymore, until I told them I was doing the show, they’re like, “No way, oh my God, we DVR that at home and we love it, we’ve watched it since the beginning.” And so it was fun to get to see the reaction, you know, I was like, I didn’t start watching the show right away because I travel so much. But I did get into it, like halfway through last year and I think it’s just really funny. It’s quirky and the characters are strong and the actors get to have so much fun with it. It was cool; I was excited when I got the phone call.

Was the role a good way to get back at Joel McHale for the comments he made on The Soup about your sister Haylie?
You know what is funny, is Haylie and her boyfriend Nick love Talk Soup and so I think that she has pretty thick skin and didn’t care, But when I saw Joel, I was like, “I’m just going to push you down, like, I just need to, it just needs to happen, I can push you down really fast.” And then say, “Thanks for having me on your show.” But he was like, “Oh, no, what did I say about you? Or your sister? I don’t know, I don’t know.” But he’s usually pretty good to us, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Did you find it was instant working chemistry with the cast or did it take a little bit of time for you all to become sort of bonded?
You know what? It was pretty instant which is nice. Everyone on the set is so, so kind and was really welcoming towards me. And the great part was that I wasn’t a nice character. So it wasn’t like I needed to sit in and be funny with them. You know what I mean? My character was kind of against all of them. So I didn’t feel pressured to have to like have that funny – what’s the word I’m looking for? That connection, like that closeness that they all have. You know, my character was like the bitchy mean girl at school. And so she wasn’t a part of them. So it was easy to kind of jump in there. And they’re so funny anyway that my part was easy. I don’t know, it fit. It was easy to walk in.

Who’s your favorite character on the show?
Definitely Ken Jeong’s character, I think he’s so funny. He has so much fun with it, like when we were filming, he just goes above and beyond like, what he would have to do to be funny and I just – I love the commitment that he has for the role and just, he’s such a nice person. Talking to him, he’s really smart but super, super funny and I mean the whole cast made it a really good experience for me.

How do you think Lizzie McGuire would kind of fit in with the Community crowd?
I haven’t even thought about that. Well, I don’t know, you know, the whole premise of that show was that she didn’t fit into any crowd. And she was kind of just nice to everyone and stayed neutral and that got her in trouble a lot of the time. So I think she would kind of fit in with the outcasts, I guess.

MUSIC, TV, FILM, & ELIXIR

Do you plan on coming out with an upcoming album in the next few years?
I do. I mean, I wouldn’t say that it’s something that’s going to happen in a year, but I do miss singing and I miss being on stage and I’ve had such a busy, like, last two years. I got married and I wrote a book and I’ve been traveling a lot back and forth, you know, to see my husband. So it was, you know, it’s not something that was like on my priority list. But I just did a book tour and I think almost every fan that was – that showed up for the signings were just like, “When are you doing new music? When is more music coming out?” And so it did inspire me and make me feel like people are missing it. So it made me feel good and kind of like inspired again.

And how does acting bring out a different side of you in your creativity as opposed to singing?
Oh, I actually think they’re very similar except most of the time when you’re singing it’s times ten, you know, the energy in the performance you’re putting into it is obviously way bigger. But it’s all about telling a story, you know? And getting to kind of leave yourself behind and imagine you in that character’s life and how you’d feel and how you would react and what your traits would be and, you know, how she walks different and talks different. I think it’s just fun to kind of like leave your world behind for a little bit and be somebody else.

Is the project, “The Story of Bonnie and Clyde” still going and looking forward into the future, is it your preference to concentrate on film, or would you like to come back to television on a weekly series of your own?
“The Story of Bonnie and Clyde” has been so complicated. I think that’s the perfect example of just stuff getting leaked out into the press before it’s ready to. You know, because there’s tons of projects that I talk to people about on a weekly basis and, you know, most of them don’t happen, you know? And if they do sometimes it takes years to get them ready to shoot. And that’s kind of what’s happened with this one is the people that are involved just haven’t really gotten their stuff together. Obviously it’s a great – it could be a great idea, and I would love to get to do it. But it has to – you know, the script has to be in the right place and all that stuff before you start shooting. So that hasn’t happened yet.

And it’s been nice to do these little guest spots on TV shows because it did make me realize that I miss it. I would like to concentrate on movies, but if the right part came along on a show, I’d obviously be really excited. I think that’s a good schedule for me because you get to always go home at night and see the same people every day. It’s more of a routine. And I think I’m better with a little bit of routine in my life. But it obviously has to be right. You know, I wouldn’t want to commit myself to four years of doing something that, you know, I wasn’t completely satisfied with.

As far as Gossip Girl is concerned, are you going to be doing any more guest shots on that show?
I don’t think so. I mean, when I signed on to do it, it was just, you know, six episodes, and I know they do bring their characters back sometimes, but I don’t think there’s any plans to do that.

In your career you’ve have a really nice balance of dramatic films, like “According to Greta” which I love and…
Thank you, you were like one of five people that saw it, but thank you so much.

And now, this year Beauty & the Briefcase and Community. But after guesting on such a funny show, do you see yourself wanting to do more comedy?
I do. You know what, and I started doing comedy, you know, obviously Lizzie McGuire was a lot of physical comedy. And I really do miss that. So, you know, of course like I was saying before that if I – if the right series came along with a great character I would love to do that. You know, it’s kind of where I started and I miss it. So I would, but I think I also like to find balance and challenge myself with dramatic things and, you know, I’m just waiting to get that really juicy dramatic part.

How much of a challenge is it for you to find the next TV project?
It’s pretty challenging, actually. I wouldn’t say for things like this, like these guest starring roles that I’ve been doing, which has been a lot of fun for me just to get back into TV and try that again. Like, I was working on Gossip Girl last year and then this year I’ve done – I did Community and I really do miss TV and I really enjoy the process and, you know, becoming a family with the crew and knowing you’re going to see I like that a lot. I’m good with like, structure in my life. But it is challenging and about a year and a half ago, I had a deal with NBC, there was a development deal and I was meeting with people all the time, you know, writers coming up with ideas. And thinking about – reading lots of scripts and thinking about developing a project and then it just – it wasn’t happening. You know, I love TV, but I wouldn’t want to do it unless it was the right part and the right story line and something that I was going to be happy with. You know, doing for four years, I think that’s a really big commitment and Lizzie McGuire was such a great show and so great for my life at the time, because it really was just who I was. And now, obviously, I’m looking for things that are a little more challenging, but it’s hard to find.

Why is it so hard to find? Is it people are still looking at you like Lizzie McGuire?
Oh, I don’t think I mean hard to find for me personally. I think it’s just in general harder to find great projects.

You’ve always been more of a role model to young girls. Do you take that into consideration when you choose your roles?
I did for awhile. It was very important to me that my fan base was young and kind of growing up with me and I wanted to be like a responsible role model. But I don’t think it was too much of a stretch from who I was in my real life. You know, I wasn’t trying to be something that I wasn’t. And obviously, I was growing up, you know, I was trying to choose age appropriate roles and then I kind of stopped caring so much about what people would write about me or how people would perceive me in this part or that. You have to grow as a person and do it on your own time, you know, and that goes for work choices as well. But I think I was pretty good at making my path and not causing too much controversy, so still, you know, being a good role model for young people.

It seems Charlie Sheen just filmed a cameo in your latest film. How was it working with Charlie?
You know what? This is like, another example of just, stories getting out of
control. We both had cameos in this movie, so it’s not my film. I didn’t work with Charlie…but from what I’ve heard, he’s great to work with and, you know?

What inspired your book?
It’s a part one of a two or three book series and I love reading and I just kind of was ready for a new challenge. I took about a year off of work from everything just to try and breathe figure out what I liked doing the best and what I wanted to do and not focus so much trying to act and sing and tour and do all of this stuff at once. And during that time, I started to write down ideas for a book and it happened. I think with the media and everyone, you know, when you’re watching something on TV, you see it how it is and how someone else sees it, you can go along with it. But when you’re reading a book and going along with a story, you kind of get to imagine it in your head how you see it and I think that’s really great. I wanted to write a book and kind of give back to my fans.

MISCELLANEOUS
How did you like Pittsburgh when you came to see your husband play and what are some of your favorite things here?
Oh, honestly I haven’t been able to do too much exploring like around the city because it’s been kind of like, you know, I’ve been there for three days at a time or something, and one of the times we were apartment hunting for Mike and one of the other times was a pretty quick trip. But so far I’ve really enjoyed it. Everyone’s been really nice to me and I know Mike is loving it because obviously hockey is so important to everyone there. And we’ve had some really great meals, which is always exciting.

How do you prioritize between your career and your new family?
I think when it’s important to you, you just figure out a way to make it work. You know, I have always had a pretty strong work ethic, I think, because I started at such a young age. And like writing the book was very convenient for me because traveling to see Mike and stuff, you know, I could really do it from anywhere, as long as I had my laptop with me. I could write and email the lady that I wrote the book with, we would just email back and forth and talk on the phone constantly and so that was really great. And then the only hard part is being away from the animals all the time. We have like four dogs and two cats. So…obviously I can’t travel with that many animals to go see him. But, you know we did just get married, so it’s important that we see each other a lot. And, you know, also, both of our careers are very important to us. And we just find a way to juggle it and, you know, we have people that help us stay organized and on top of things so important things don’t slip through the cracks, you know? But you just figure out a way to make it work when you have to.

You mentioned the long hours. As a newlywed does that affect the projects that you take, especially since he’s on the road so much?
He’s so supportive of me. I don’t think it would be like, “You can’t do that because I’m never going to get to see you.” You know, he knows that my career is very important to me. But the one thing that’s nice about TV is that you have three weeks on, one week off most of the time. So I actually think it would work because we’re used to going, you know, two to three weeks without seeing each other. But like I said, I would only do it if it was something that I was really committed to. That’s why it’s been fun doing these little guest spots here and there because, you know, I get to still go and be a part of a set and do little quick roles here and there but it’s not such a big commitment.

Does being married to a pro athlete make you up your fitness game at all? Do you guys workout together and are you competitive in that way?
Yes, we are definitely competitive. I don’t know – we’re not really competitive when it comes to working out. I mean, obviously he would win any battle, I’m sure. But we’re more competitive with like games and stuff. Like, board games or other things like that. But the first time we actually got to work out was this summer and we were both, you know, working really hard trying to get in shape for our wedding. But during the year he trains so hard that he never feels like working out with And I’m sure you’re ready to take a break after working so hard for your And I have and now I’m about to go see him and he’s in amazing shape right now, and I’m like, “Oh, no.” I’ve totally let myself go.

Is there anything else you’re excited about coming down the pike that we should know about?
Well, you know, I just became a New York Times bestseller. So that was really exciting. And I’m starting to write the sequel because it’s a series, and that’s really exciting for me, just thinking about the direction of the new book and creating some new characters and that’s pretty much it right now besides all the holidays coming up and all the excited travel I’ll be doing.

Speaking of the holidays. Is there anything on your Christmas wish list?
Not yet. I haven’t been thinking about that yet. But I mean, I’m pretty – it’s so funny because I always just want shoes or a bag or something. And Mike’s always like, “But I’ve already gotten you shoes, and I’ve already gotten you a bag.” And I’m like, “It doesn’t matter, I’m a girl. Eventually you wear those and then you don’t want them anymore.” So they’re not cool.

Community airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.