'Opportunity of a lifetime': Lindsay Lohan celebrates 23rd anniversary of 'The Parent Trap'

Lohan thanked director Nancy Meyers for casting her in the 1998 film.

July 20, 2021, 6:05 PM

Lindsay Lohan marked the 23rd anniversary of "The Parent Trap" by thanking its director, Nancy Meyers, for giving her the "opportunity of a lifetime."

It all started when Meyers, 71, shared a video montage of scenes from the 1998 Disney film to celebrate the milestone, writing, "Thank you for all of the love sent my way over the years about this film. I've enjoyed all of your DMs, photos, parties, costumes, handshake videos and just general sweetness."

Meyers also mentioned a few people involved in "The Parent Trap" in the caption -- including Lohan, the movie's breakout star.

"Thank you for the opportunity of a lifetime Nancy," the "Mean Girls" actress responded in the comments.

Lohan's mother, Dina, also chimed in, calling Meyers "super talented" and "such a gem," adding how "grateful" she is that Meyers chose her daughter for the lead role.

PHOTO: A scene from the "The Parent Trap," a remake of Walt Disney Pictures' classic romantic family comedy is seen in this undated file photo.
A scene from the "The Parent Trap," a remake of Walt Disney Pictures' classic romantic family comedy is seen in this undated file photo.
Lorey Sebastian/Disney Enterprises

Last year, Lohan reunited with Meyers and the rest of her castmates for the first time since it hit theaters. Producer Charles Shyer, Meyers' ex-husband with whom she co-wrote the film, opened up about how Lohan was cast in the lead roles. He recalled how they saw "a lot of kids" for the part but knew Lohan was the one "within two or three minutes" of first meeting her.

Meyers said Lohan had "that sort of quality that just leapt up at you and pulled you in," adding, "We discovered a big star. We discovered somebody that everybody fell in love with."

"The Parent Trap," a remake of the 1961 film, stars Lohan as identical twin sisters Hallie Parker and Annie James, who were separated shortly after birth following their parents' divorce -- one living with their mom (the late Natasha Richardson) and one with their dad (Dennis Quaid). Having no knowledge that the other exists, Hallie and Annie meet by chance while attending the same summer camp and hatch a plot to switch places and get their parents back together.

During the 2020 reunion, Lohan credited the film for helping her through a difficult time in her life, saying, "My parents were kind of separating at the time this was all going on, and it made it a lot easier for me to play these characters that were figuring it out."

"Without this movie, I wouldn't have gotten that acting bug," she gushed. "'The Parent Trap' is beautiful, it's timeless and it's special. I just feel really blessed and really grateful to have been a part of it."

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