Lindsay Lohan

By Sharon Cotliar

Thursday August 21, 2003 01:00 PM EDT

Lindsay Lohan, the 17-year-old costar of Disney's sleeper hit remake Freaky Friday, was walking along Sunset Boulevard with a friend recently when it suddenly hit her: She's a movie star. "I saw the poster for Freaky Friday on Sunset Boulevard. It's huge! It's a whole building," she said. "I was like, 'Oh my God, wow!' It's so cool."

Despite her surprise, Friday actually marks Lohan's return to the big screen. At 11, she played twins in the 1998 remake Parent Trap, starring Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson.

Lohan recently told PEOPLE about her jump back into acting, her future college plans, teen romance and her bonding experience with costar Jamie Lee Curtis – to the music of Justin Timberlake.

You took a break after Parent Trap, opting to return to school. Why?
After Parent Trap, it was a lot at once for me. I was 12 years old and I wanted to be with my friends. So my parents made the decision to bring me back into school. I appreciate that so much because it really kept me grounded. I think it was really great that I went back to school and stayed with my friends and led a normal life.

What do you hope will come out of your role in Freaky Friday?
I hope people can accept me now as a 17-year-old actress instead of thinking of me as a 12-year-old. I just hope I get some great scripts and choose the right things.

Did Jamie Lee Curtis give you any good advice?
Jamie just always tells me to be comfortable with myself and get more confidence – and be with good people and do what I feel is right most of the time. Coming from Jamie, it means a lot, because I think she is a great person – amazing.

We heard Jamie Lee called your grandma's house and surprised her.
Yeah, she called to speak to me after seeing the screening. She called and my grandmother picked up the phone and Jamie said, "Hi, is Lindsay there? This is Jamie," and my grandmother said, "Jamie who?"

Jamie and I talk on the phone a lot though, and her daughter is really cool. We're pretty good friends.

Did you both have fun on the set?
I think the funniest thing is Jamie every morning coming into the trailer playing Justin Timberlake. She's just a big Justin fan. We had a lot of fun listening to him every day in the trailer – she would sing to it (laughs).