Lindsay Lohan is working like it is the early noughties again, and this could be good news for women everywhere.
Irish Wish, a harmless rom-com that sees her character Maddie magically become a bride-to-be after making a spontaneous plea for love, is now arriving on Netflix and is the latest in a long line of wins for Lindsay over the past 24 months.
We’ve recently seen Lindsay Falling For Christmas in a perfectly cheesy holiday film set at a ski lodge, strutting her stuff on the red carpet at the exclusive Vanity Fair Oscars after-party, making a cameo in a remake of Mean Girls, popping up on late-night chat shows, and now she’s preparing for a Freaky Friday sequel with Jamie Lee Curtis.
The 37-year-old is booked and busy, which seemed unimaginable just a few short years ago, despite a promising start to her life in Hollywood.
Lindsay emerged onto the scene in the iconic Disney film Parent Trap. Aged just 12, she showed her acting chops playing two twin girls trying to get their mum and dad back together.
The performance was so convincing that children around the globe truly believed it was two actors. We still have to remind ourselves now that Lindsay is acting for her life while speaking to thin air.
Her obvious talent landed her a consistent influx of roles in popular films – Life-Size, Mean Girls, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Just My Luck – as well as a platinum-selling pop album, and the cover of basically every magazine.
Irish Wish is a statement that the industry is changing (Picture: Netflix/Everett/Shutterstock)
Lindsay played twin girls in Parent Trap (Credits: Lorey Sebastian/Walt Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock)
However, while at the height of her fame, things began to shift. It was no longer her on-screen charisma that dominated her public image, but what was going on after the director yelled cut.
She became one of the most famous women in the world, but not for the reasons she hoped when she first stepped onto set a decade earlier.
Britney Spears and Paris Hilton were probably the only women in the world who could understand her level of fame at the time, with the paparazzi following Lindsay’s every move and the press rarely having positive things to say. Her prison headshots, failed romances – notably with Samantha Ronson – and professional setbacks were endlessly ridiculed.
After filming Georgia Rule (2007), which she starred in alongside Jane Fonda, she was publicly critiqued by production for ‘irresponsible and unprofessional’ behaviour, which added to her issues.
Lindsay was arrested for driving under the influence and possessing cocaine in 2007. She was handed a 90-day jail sentence in 2010 for violating probation, of which she served 14 days.
As things spiralled out of control, Lindsay pleaded: ‘I want my career back.’
‘I know that I’m a damn good actress,’ she told Vanity Fair in 2010.
Lindsay was on a roll until it all stopped (Picture: Everett/Shutterstock)
Her PR team went into overdrive and tried to overcorrect with some interesting choices such as her documentary, Lindsay Lohan’s Indian Journey, in which she investigated human trafficking.
Stepping further away from films, there was a reality show – Lindsay – and the viral video of her dancing chaotically in Mykonos.
It felt like she couldn’t be a credible career woman with a complicated personal life, instead, she was sent down a route that didn’t always feel that comfortable.
Lindsay’s resurgence seemed out of the question a few years ago (Picture: Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
We’ve seen this happen before with women who’ve done nothing wrong. Baywatch actor Pamela Anderson had her hopes of going down a serious acting route dashed before they’d even truly begun after a stolen sex tape was leaked in 1995.
While promoting a film she was proud of – Barb Wire – she often questioned over the tape and spoke about her struggles to get parts afterwards. ‘I didn’t feel like I had a lot of respect. I had to make a career out of the pieces left,’ Pamela reflected.
Her husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee only seemed to be considered cooler with his rockstar image becoming more alluring.
Janet Jackson had her top ripped by Justin Timberlake during the 2004 Superbowl halftime music show. The costume reveal stunt went wrong and her breast was shown. Politicians, network executives and the media criticised Janet with Justin seemingly coming off scot-free. Her image never fully recovered, but he still enjoyed an illustrious career and went on to release multiple best-selling albums.
Women don’t seem to be treated the same (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Amber Heard’s role in an Aquaman sequel (2023) seemed to be dramatically cut down after public court battles with ex-husband Johnny Depp. ‘I fought really hard to stay in the movie. They didn’t want to include me in the film.’ She was vilified on social media, with people even mocking her tears in the courtroom as she gave testimony on the worst parts of her relationship.
In the US, Amber was found guilty of defaming her ex-husband in 2022 when she wrote a 2018 article in the Washington Post about being a victim of domestic abuse. Johnny lost a similar defamation case in the UK against The Sun newspaper, two years prior.
But Johnny continued to star in a huge Dior campaign, with sales of the cologne soaring, and a role in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore given high praise.
Amber was mocked (Picture: STEVE HELBER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Hugh Grant was caught cheating on Elizabeth Hurley with a sex worker in 1995. He was arrested for doing the ‘lewd act’ in a parked car but continued to be cast as the leading guy in rom-coms including Notting Hill and Mickey Blue Eyes just four years later.
Mischa Barton’s character Marissa was a main attraction on The O.C. which began in 2003, thanks to her complicated character arch as a rich privileged schoolgirl who wanted to escape its restraints. Marissa was shockingly killed off after three series.
Her days as a ‘party girl’ in her early twenties seem to have had an everlasting impact on her. In 2007, she was sent to rehab after being arrested for DUI, marijuana possession and driving without a licence.
Her biggest role since has been a part in the reality show The Hills until 2023 when she was cast in Neighbours.
Mischa Barton as Marissa with Benjamin McKenzie who played Ryan (Picture: Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock)
The list goes on, and of course, every case is individual, but it’s undeniable that there is an alarming pattern. Men are given chances to be more than one story, while women can’t always be multifaceted complex human beings and still do their jobs.
However, perhaps the recent Lohan-loving is a huge sign that it’s finally a fairer system, whereby women can move on in the same way men have been doing for years.
After slightly retreating from the spotlight and moving to Dubai, it appears that Lindsay has got a second chance at doing the projects she loves. This was a purposeful decision by Lindsay, who is now mum to 8-month-old son Luaito with husband Bader Shammas.
