Entertainment

Meet The Newcomer Playing Lindsay Lohan’s Role In The ‘Freaky Friday’ Musical

Ed Herrera/Disney Channel

One of Lindsay Lohan's most overlooked contributions to the world of cinema is arguably her role in the 2003 adaptation of Freaky Friday, where she played the daughter of Jamie Lee Curtis' character. But now the story, which centers around a mother and daughter body-swap that ultimately brings them closer together, is now making its way to the Disney Channel in the form of a Freaky Friday musical for TV. Lohan won't be taking on the daughterly role in this latest iteration. Instead, rising actor Cozi Zuehlsdorff plays Ellie in the Freaky Friday TV movie.

While that name may not immediately sound very familiar, there's definitely a chance you've seen Zuehlsdorff's acting talents in action before. Though she's relatively new to the entertainment industry, Zuehlsdorff does have a couple of different movie and TV credits under her belt. She starred as Hazel Haskett in Dolphin Tale as well as the sequel Dolphin Tale 2. Additionally, she also appeared in numerous TV shows, such as Mighty Med, Code Black, The Last Tycoon, and Liv and Maddie, according to her IMDB page. However, you can expect Zuehlsdorff to become a much more prominent household name once fans see her take on the role of Ellie.

Apart from Zuehlsdorff's past projects, though, there isn't a ton of information about her out there, however, thanks to the powers of social media, her Instagram offers up a few interesting details about what her life is like when she isn't charming us in front of the camera. For starters, she has a deep appreciation for coffee, which already makes her extremely relatable on so many levels.

Additionally, Zuehlsdorff also seems to have a really close relationship to Heidi Blickenstaff, who plays her mom, Katherine, in the DCOM Freaky Friday. She even went so far as to give Blickenstaff a special birthday shoutout on Instagram, which included a sweet message and adorable photo of the two of them together. "Happy belated birthday to my Mom/daughter," Zuehlsdorff wrote. "I love you so much. I hope yesterday was as completely magical as you." So even when they're at each other's throats on-screen, just know that the exact opposite was occurring off-screen.

This Freaky Friday musical movie adaptation is yet another example of how 2018 is the year of revivals. (The Disney Channel is currently in the process of working on a Hocus Pocus remake as well.) However, you don't need to have seen the past iterations to enjoy this new version, which promises to provide its own unique spin to the story.

This movie is a creative collaboration with our Theatrical colleagues who developed an original stage musical from a beloved story,” Adam Bonnett, executive VP of original programming at Disney Channel, said in a statement via Entertainment Weekly. “Now we’ve added a fresh twist by adapting it again into a movie for kids and families — with Broadway talent on and off camera — that has the potential to be a classic [Disney Channel Original Movie] for years to come.”

Fans will have to make that decision for themselves, but Zuehlsdorff's natural charisma alone is enough to make this project a hit.

Freaky Friday premieres Friday, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on the Disney Channel.