‘It was a double-edged sword’: Lindsay Lohan reflects on her early years in Hollywood

WASHINGTON: Nearly two decades after her tumultuous years under the Hollywood spotlight, actor Lindsay Lohan has reflected on the intense scrutiny she faced as a teenager and questioned why no one stepped in to protect her during what she described as a “double-edged sword” phase of fame, according to E! News.

The 39-year-old actor spoke candidly about navigating stardom in the early 2000s, when her personal life frequently made tabloid headlines.

“Living in Hollywood at the height of my career was all so overwhelming and consuming,” Lohan said, adding that she sometimes wishes she had returned to New York as advised by her parents, Dina and Michael Lohan. “I was young and wanted to be in LA. And I didn’t know. So yeah, while a lot of it was fun, it was hard when I was young. It was a double-edged sword.”

Lohan rose to prominence as a teenager with films like The Parent Trap and Mean Girls, becoming one of the most recognisable faces of the early 2000s. However, her personal struggles and frequent appearances in tabloids soon overshadowed her professional achievements. Reflecting on that period, she said she often wonders why no one intervened.

Lindsay Lohan opens up about her early days in Hollywood: “Why didn’t anyone just go and take me out of there, protect me more? You don’t know how to do that yourself when you’re a teenager.”https://t.co/MtCDLHFCWz pic.twitter.com/5yP9iYpKm3

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 26, 2026

“Now I look back and wonder, ‘Why didn’t anyone just go and take me out of there, protect me more?’ You don’t know how to do that yourself when you’re a teenager,” she remarked, as per the outlet.

At the time, Lohan was frequently photographed alongside fellow young stars such as Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, with their nightlife outings becoming emblematic of a tabloid-driven celebrity culture.

Eventually, the constant scrutiny led Lohan to step away from Hollywood. “I wasn’t having fun in the business anymore. I wasn’t finding roles I loved. It’s not a life I wanted to live. It’s not real life,” she said, explaining that she moved abroad and distanced herself from the industry. “I’m so glad I followed my gut.”

Lohan, who shares a two-year-old son, Luai, with husband Bader Shammas, made her acting comeback in 2022. She noted that her return to films has been marked by greater confidence and clearer boundaries. “When I was younger, I wasn’t so comfortable saying how I felt about a character. Now it feels good to steer my own ship,” she said, according to E! News.

Her reflections come amid a broader reassessment of early 2000s celebrity culture, with several stars speaking about the pressures of sudden fame and media intrusion. (ANI)