Hilary Duff gets daring: lately, Hilary's stepped out of her comfort zone to write about intensely personal events, take on challenging roles, and embark on a hot romance with a guy she calls her total opposite. Hear the revealing scoop right here.(COSMO NEWS: interview)(Interview)(Cover story)

* Hilary Duff breezes into her Cosmo cover shoot at a New York City photo studio and cheerily gives out hugs and kisses to everyone oil set. You'd never know the girl hasn't been getting much sleep lately until she makes a desperate request: "A skim latte with an extra shot of espresso--please!"

And while some young celebs require an energy boost because they've been hanging at nightclubs until the wee hours, Hilary's just seeking to fuel her ambitious work agenda. It's a schedule that entails recording new music, working on two films, raising money for kids through the Blessings in a Backpack organization, and going on a world tour. "This has been a big cleansing year for me," the Texas native declares. "I learned a ton about myself, and I became really independent. I feel like, I grew up a lot."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

And we're not just talking emotional maturity here--at 20, with long honey-colored locks, a smokin' bod, and killer confidence, Hilary's looking every bit the hot Hollywood starlet. Dressed in white skinny jeans, 4-inch heels, and a sexy off-the-shoulder black top, it's hard to believe she's the same girl who not long ago starred in such family-friendly flicks its Cheaper by the Dozen and 2004's A Cinderella Story.

Appearance aside, she's making more sophisticated professional choices too. She recently finished filming War, Inc., a political satire, (alongside John Cusack, and she's now working on a drama with veteran actress Ellen Burstyn called Greta, which deeds with suicide. Furthermore, her latest album, Dignity--which she's rereleasing early this year with two new tracks--references the difficult subject of her parents' recent divorce.

Writing music, she says, was somewhat of a catharsis. "It's therapeutic, but it's also stressful because it's hard to open yourself up like that," she says. "I felt kind of numb for a while--nothing made me too sad, and nothing made me too happy. But about four months ago, I thought, 'Wow, I feel like myself again.'"

Coincidentally or not, Hilary's happiness rebounded around the time she met her current boyfriend--Mike Comrie, pro hockey player for the New York Islanders--on a plane while headed to Idaho to vacation with mutual friends. They've been inseparable ever since, spending time in Canada (where he's from), L.A., and New York. When Mike stops by the Cosmo shoot, they sit, heads bowed in conversation. Halfway through lunch, Kanye West's "Stronger" blasts over the studio speakers, prompting Hilary to stand up and dance flirtatiously in front of Mike. Now this is a side of Hilary few people have seen.