Christy Carlson Romano says an encounter with Mandy Moore at a party attended by members of The Princess Diaries cast left her thinking the actress was a “mean girl.”
She also acknowledges she crashed the gathering. The Even Stevens alum revisited the evening in a Page Six Radio interview while promoting her new memoir.
“I was so hurt by it,” Romano said of the interaction, which took place in 2000, before the film reached theaters.
Moore’s representatives did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.
Romano Says Moore Laughed During Her Exchange With Heather Matarazzo
Christy Carlson Romano claimed Mandy Moore was a “mean girl” when she crashed “The Princess Diaries” wrap party 👀
Page Six (@PageSix) October 7, 2026
Romano said she was filming the first season of Even Stevens when costar Ty Hodges invited her to a Malibu party for his friend EVD, meaning Erik von Detten, who played Josh Bryant in the movie.
Once Romano arrived, she realized the gathering involved the film’s cast, describing it in the radio interview as a “wrap party or something.”
Near the end of the night, she spotted Heather Matarazzo, who played Mia Thermopolis’ best friend, Lilly Moscovitz. Romano said she knew Matarazzo from an MTV project in New York and approached her to bring up their earlier work together.
According to Romano, Matarazzo seemed uncomfortable and said she did not remember. Moore, who was standing beside her, then gave a laugh that Romano interpreted as condescending.
Moore Played Mia’s Bully, Lana Thomas
Moore portrayed Lana Thomas, the popular cheerleader who torments Anne Hathaway’s Mia at school. In the film, Mia eventually stands up to Lana after the cheerleader targets another student.
Directed by Garry Marshall, The Princess Diaries opened on Aug. 3, 2001. Hathaway played a teenager who discovers she is heir to the throne of Genovia, while Julie Andrews played her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi.
Romano Missed Her Chance to Audition for Mia
In a Sept. 16, 2021, YouTube video, Romano said she had been preparing to read for Mia when producers told her she could not leave the Even Stevens set. She remembered having to film overtime. She said sending in a recorded audition was not an option available to her at the time.
Romano believed landing the part could have changed her career, but she praised Hathaway’s performance. “She’s amazing. She was so cute in it and so charming,” she said in the video, which PEOPLE covered at the time.
Her 2021 account also described a brief, friendly meeting with Hathaway at a Malibu party, according to E! News. “It’s not fair to pit women against each other,” Romano added, saying similarities in appearance did not make her and Hathaway the same performer.
She later contributed the song “Let’s Bounce” to the 2004 sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
Her Memoir Examines the Pressure to Be a Perfect Disney Star
Once Upon a Trainwreck: The Fall and Rise of a Child Star was released Oct. 6 by Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. The book follows Romano from childhood stage and screen work through her Disney success, including Kim Possible and Cadet Kelly.
She writes about addiction, financial instability and the pressure to maintain a polished public image while struggling privately. In an excerpt published by Marie Claire, Romano recalls Disney media training that forbade swearing or criticizing other Disney performers. The memoir also includes letters from Romano to her two young daughters.