Summary Lohan's reputation has been built from her tabloid persona more than on-screen performance.
Lindsay Lohan so wanted to play Elizabeth Taylor in the upcoming film "Liz & Dick" that she cut out the middle man and went straight to the producer herself, the tabloid-favorite star said.
Lohan, 26, plays Taylor in an upcoming television movie that dramatizes the long love affair between the late Hollywood legend and actor Richard Burton.
"It s a funny story, actually. I had seen that they were going to be making the movie and I got the producers numbers and started harassing (producer) Larry Thompson," Lohan said on ABC s "Good Morning America."
"I didn t even care if my agents were going to do it or not, I just did it myself, too," the "Mean Girls" actress said. "Because I was like, No one else is going to play this role, I have to do this. "
Early reviews of "Liz & Dick," which premieres on U.S. cable channel Lifetime on November 25, have ranged from middling to poor. But TV critics noted the similarities between Lohan and Taylor, both often-troubled actresses who started life as child stars.
" Liz & Dick truly drags," said the Hollywood Reporter. "Luckily, you can t take your eyes off of Lohan playing Taylor, which the producers clearly thought would work because they share similar back stories."
Lohan s acting alongside New Zealand s Grant Bowler as Burton was described by Variety on Friday as "adequate, barring a few awkward moments, thanks largely to the fabulous frocks and makeup ... she gets to model."
Lohan s reputation, much like Taylor s, has been built from her tabloid persona more than on-screen performance.
