Lindsay Lohan has had an incredible comeback in movies ever since collaborating with Netflix. Her return to lead roles after 2015’s The Canyons was starring in the Netflix Christmas movie Falling for Christmas. The Christmas flick’s success with Netflix subscribers allowed her to reach a whole new fanbase. However, Lohan’s father, Michael Lohan, believes significant recognition should have started with The Parent Trap describing her performance as Oscar-worthy.
Originally in the soap opera Another World, Lindsay Lohan’s breakthrough came from the Disney remake of The Parent Trap, playing twins Annie and Hallie. When Michael Lohan spoke about his daughter on the podcast Behind the Velvet Rope, he joyfully recalled the scene when British Annie revealed at her mom’s bedside that she was her American daughter Hallie the whole time.
“I literally cried. I couldn’t believe my daughter was so talented, to switch her accents at the drop of a dime, on her own, and pull that off like she did.”
It truly was impressive that for her first movie, Lindsay Lohan was able to pull off playing two different roles. U.K.-raised Annie had a prim and proper personality, while Hallie was an American-born schemer and more outspoken. Michael Lohan felt his then-12-year-old daughter being able to switch accents for “seven months” was good enough for Oscar recognition.
“It’s seamless. It’s flawless, and she should have gotten an Oscar for that film. There’s no question,” said Lohan. “You show me another kid that age that could have pulled that off. I don’t know any.”
Lindsay Lohan’s Parent Trap Acclaim
The Parent Trap didn’t earn Lindsay Lohan an Oscar nomination, but she did get other awards for her dual role. The child star won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film by a Leading Young Actress as well as Best Breakthrough Performance from the Online Film & Television Association.
Not only was Michael Lohan a fan of his daughter’s performance, but so were the critics. Critic Kenneth Turan from The Los Angeles Times felt Lindsay Lohan was “the soul of this movie” and loved how she was about to play two different personalities. Gene Siskel of The Chicago Tribune found the young starlet to be “fetching.” Even Hayley Mills, who played the twins in the 1961 film, praised Lohan as “excellent” on The Today Show.
The critical acclaim Lindsay Lohan got from The Parent Trap opened her up to many opportunities for Disney in films like Life-Size, Get a Clue, Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and Herbie: Fully Loaded. Hopefully, her adult career as an actress will land her an Oscar one of these days.
