Lilly From Princess Diaries Is Beyond Gorgeous In Real Life

Who's your favorite character from The Princess Diaries movies? Was it Anne Hathaway's awkward teen-turned-fabulous-royal Mia or Julie Andrews' regal Queen? Or maybe you've always been a fan of Lilly, who was played by Heather Matarazzo. Many fans actually weren't too fond of the main character's best friend – BuzzFeed even went so far as to call her the "worst." However, Matarazzo was still willing to defend the fictional teen in April 2020, when someone on Instagram took issue with the character, captioning a picture of Mia's BFF with: "Remember when Lilly was b----ing out Mia for her hair and all u wanted to do was punch her in the face." According to Us Weekly, Matarazzo responded by writing, "Listen, she knew she needed an attitude adjustment and she was willing to call herself out as a teen, which is more than most adults I know." However, the actress was willing to concede that, quote, "yes, some of her thoughts and words were just…" - and added facepalm, eye roll, and eyes emojis. While Matarazzo may still be willing to stick up for the young girl she played so many years ago, the actress has come a long way since playing Lilly. Matarazzo may not fit the mold of what has been typically considered beautiful and glamorous in Hollywood in the past. She told After Ellen in 2006 that she doesn't consider herself to be, quote, "that pretty girl next door." However, after revealing in a 2015 blog post that she was let go from a film when she was younger because she was told - in quite a vulgar and inappropriate way - that she wasn't attractive enough. She wrote, "I can still feel the pain, shame, and humiliation that came over me in that moment. This is a part that I had been so excited to play. She was bold, witty, sarcastic, sexy, but more importantly, she had a deeper vulnerability underneath. She had layers, she was complex." Matarazzo has since realized that she has plenty of admirable qualities. She explained, "I had to look at my gorgeous face, with my piercing blue eyes, my pouty lips, small chin, slightly crooked nose, full teeth and smile. I had to really look at myself and see my beauty." She said that personal epiphany marked a turning point in her career, adding, "The roles I started to get called in for were women who were 'beautiful, confident, secure', they were complex, they had bite, they had depth." Before she played Lilly, Matarazzo appeared in 1995's Welcome to the Dollhouse. Since she played the part of an awkward young girl in the film, she says that she faced issues with her appearance in real life. She told The Guardian in 2017, "I had difficulties dealing with my own insecurities and identity when I was in my late teens. [...] It wasn't until I became an adolescent that I started hearing words such as 'ugly' or 'plain'. I started to get a firm grasp on how other people saw me, and I took other people's views of me as absolute truths." In her candid blog post in 2015, Matarazzo said, "I was asked a lot of questions by reporters, such as, 'How does it feel to play the ugly duckling?'" She admits that as a 13-year-old, what she heard was, "How does it feel to BE ugly?" While the attention regarding her looks came about because of her work onscreen, she believes her experience was not unique, saying, "Truthfully, I feel that all women go [through] this, especially actors. Will we be seen?" Fortunately for Matarazzo, she is indeed seen - and loved - by one person, in particular, who adores and respects all aspects of her identity. In 2018, Matarazzo got engaged to her now-wife, comedian Heather Turman, according to E! News. Yes, they're Heather and Heather - which is pretty darn adorable. In an Instagram post announcing their engagement, Matarazzo wrote, in part, "I asked [...] and she said yes. To death and back, I love you, Turman." Watch the video to see how Lilly From Princess Diaries Is Beyond Gorgeous In Real Life! #PrincessDiaries