Miley
Cyrus:
Hannah Goes Home
by Lynn Barker
 Unless
you are a cave-dweller on a remote island, you know that teen sensation
Miley Cyrus is looking for the "best of both worlds" on her
"Hannah Montana" TV show as she tries to balance her personal
life as brunette school girl Miley with her secret center stage life as
blonde rocker Hannah Montana. This week, the whole tale, complete with
TV cast members Emily Osment, Jason Earles, Mitchel Musso, Moises Arias
and dad Billy Ray Cyrus comes to the big screen in Hannah Montana:
The Movie. Joining the film cast as Miley's downhome, cowboy love
interest is adorably cute, relative newcomer Lucas Till. We had to ask
him about his audition for the role with Miley!
We went to
Beverly Hills to get the scoop from the 16-year-old superstar on the new
film and her future plans! On to all things Hannah from our interview
with Miley and a few of her castmates....
Miley, wearing
a beautiful, puffy-sleeved white eyelet blouse with flower cut-outs over
a white tank, accessorized with a silver beaded necklace and pants, sits
down and spies our old school tape recorder (hey, we also use a new digital
one).
Miley: Ooooo,
someone needs to update! I wasn't alive for those!
AGW: Hey,
it's reliable. Let's put you right on the spot. What is the biggest misconception
about you?
Miley: I get
a lot of those, I'll tell you. I feel like of people say they're grateful
for their fans and they're so happy to be doing what they do and they
love it but there's a difference between loving your job and living only
for your job and I think people always will say that I'm over-working
and over-exposed and what I want is all the attention and that's not it.
AGW: So what
are people misreading about you?
Miley: What
I love is the art of it all and that's why I always say I want to go off
and do other things at some point when the time is right. My dad tells
me 'it's all about the time. If the time isn't right, nothing is going
to fall into place'. [To her dad, also at the interview] I do listen to
you every once in a while. I feel like, once the time is right, I'll be
able to do those things. And, I just want people to realize, I really
am grateful for what I do and I really do care about the fans. I can't
help it if there are forty photographers outside my house. I try to keep
my life as private as I can but I definitely don't do what I do for the
attention. Because, if I knew, coming into this, that I would have all
those people outside my house, I might have just given myself a second
thought.
AGW: Why do
you think you are the entertainment superstar you are?
Miley: Uhhhhhh,
cuz I rock! Just kidding. I think because of the show that I'm on and
the movie that everybody is about to see, it's very real. I feel like
the hardest thing about dealing with all the things I go through with
paparazzi and stuff is people remembering that you are a real person.
I feel like people forget that sometimes and forget privacy and respect.
It's important for you to remember that I am a real person, have feelings
and all that crazy stuff. I just think this movie is really gonna prove
that to people. It all is real.
AGW: For those
not too clear on the double life theme of the TV show and film, can you
talk about being Miley and Hannah?
 Miley:
It's all very confusing. None of them makes sense. I think the cool thing
about the movie is we got to take away from the persona a little bit.
It's not so separate. It shows that, realistically, you're not going to
be able to have this double life and really keep them as separate as you
want. It has proven that, as much as Hannah changes and as much as Miley
changes, again, it's all the same person. The Hannah life really does
start effecting Miley Stewart and starts making her the person that she
was always so against. The reason that she had this double life was so
that she could not become that person, not obsess with material things
and be so obsessed with Hollywood and what she's become and she's not
remembering who she is.
AGW: That
does seem like a trap for famous folks.
Miley: I do
have a lot going on but it's always important to bring it back to what's
important and that's who you are and your friends and your family. Especially,
throughout the show, me and Emily have been working together for a long
time and it just shows that even your friendships change as you change
and it's important to respect each other.
AGW: You performed
"The Climb" at the Academy Of Country Music Awards ceremony.
Have you thought of creating a Country album?
Miley: I would
like to do that at some point because that's where I'm from. I think I
was really happy to go back to Nashville and get to write a little bit
more. That's song's just so important. I feel it has a little Country
vibe to it anyway. A lot of those songs do because it went so well with
the movie. It is a song that is so universal. It doesn't matter what kind
of music you like or what kind of person you are or what you're used to
listening to or if you know me or not. It doesn't matter. I think, either
way, you can be inspired by it. But, most of all, [I want to] keep the
inspirational part of it for sure.
AGW: Let's
ask some of your cast members. How different is Miley in real life and
on screen?
Emily Osment:
When we made the movie we went back to Franklin [Tennessee] which is Miley's
hometown and I got to see her farm and go see where she grew up and the
movie is parallel to that. It's about her going back home and regaining
her roots. It's pretty similar.
Jason Earles:
I think Miley is very similar [to her onscreen role]. At least my relationship
with her is very similar in real life to the show. I sort of look at her
like an annoying little sister sometimes but the truth about Miley, and
it's been the same since we started, is that she really doesn't have a
filter. What she says is what she actually means. So you always know where
you stand with her and there's something very charming about being that
honest.
Miley: If
you understand me, it's very cute! [laughter] It's adorable. My parents
love it and my publicist really likes it so that's good [more laughter].
AGW: Are you
looking forward to playing other roles?
Miley: This
summer I'm working on a movie that Nicolas Sparks wrote for me and you
never really hear that the movie is written before the book. It's kind
of a weird way to do that but he actually wrote the movie [called The
Last Song] before he wrote the book and he wrote it with me in mind
so, I've been lucky to play parts that relate to me and this doesn't at
all. I have my issues but not as bad as this chick so I'm happy to play
someone that's kind of out there and not someone that I'm like so I can
actually see if I'm a good actress or not or if I'm just good at playing
myself. So, we'll see how that goes.
 AGW:
Sounds like a cool challenge. Emily says she wants to be slaughtered in
a movie. Lucas says he wants a more edgy role.
Miley: Emily
wants to be slaughtered. Can we please quote that? I wanna stay alive
in pretty much ninety percent of my movies. Slaughtering isn't exactly
what I'm goin' for.
AGW: Lucas,
so many young guys wanted your role. What do you think was special about
your screen test with Miley that got you the role?
Miley: [aside
to Lucas] I was sooo nice to you. Don't lie.
Lucas: I remember
when I first found out I was going out to L.A. to screen test, I was nervous
and couldn't eat for a freaking week beforehand and I was expecting a
little bit more of a different attitude, let's just say that...
Miley: From
me?
Lucas: Yeah,
and you walked in and you were just a normal girl.
Miley: I'm
the coolest! Leave me alone!
Lucas: But
she was just a normal, sweet girl and that made it so much easier.
Miley: Yeah.
I was on my best behavior. I was doing all my commenting on my text to
my mom and I believe one of my things that I said was [leaning over and
covering both of Lucas' ears] He's hot! [laughter]. Another one of the
guys that came in was a friend of mine and I was looking at him and I'm
like 'I love you so much but no, because that's like awkward because you're
my friend' and I worked with him on "Big Fish" when I was eight
years old so it's just weird. So, Lucas, is an okay looking guy and we
thought maybe, with some hair and make-up and what CGI can do, it'll work.
Lucas: Ooooooo.
Miley: And
he was a good actor. If we needed the other guy to come in and do voice-over
for him, we thought that would work too so it was awesome. We really worked
it out together and Peter's an amazing editor so.. [laughter]
Emily: Oh
my God!
AGW: Miley,
you have a wicked sense of humor, gurl! Have you thought about a sequel
yet for this film and what other 2009 plans do you have?
Miley: Hopefully
just to continue to do different movies and I have a tour in mind for
this year and I'm excited about that. And, for a sequel, I feel like this
is a TV show and we got really lucky about having the material to make
one movie and, to do another one, I feel like it takes away the reality
of it all. People that are in normal high schools look at this and see
a blonde wig and say, 'oh that's not real. That's not reality' which is
completely true. You're not gonna be able to live that life and I can't
live that life forever.
AGW: If there
won't be another movie, what about continuing the TV show?
Miley: I feel
it was very clever the way that we revealed the Hannah Montana secret
but, did it make the show completely unrealistic so that we can't come
back to the show? We're continuing to do season three and then we all
wish to do a season four and I would love to do that if the time is right
and that is what everyone agrees on. So, I don't know if I would do another
film but I would love to do another season. That would be what we would
all agree on.
AGW: Do you
go home to Tennessee to get away like movie Miley does?
 Miley:
I wish I had more time to. That was the longest I was in Tennessee since
I left and it was awesome and I really hope I can move back there at some
point because that's what I want. I just want a nice house there where
I can really escape. But it was great. As much as I worked, at times [director]
Peter [Chelsom] would say, 'can't you just stay in Nashville for a little
while and not be working on the weekends?' There were times for three
or four weeks straight, I was in Nashville and it really made me miss
home. So, I hope I can go back at some point for sure.
AGW: What
would you say to teens who want to come to Hollywood? Should they pursue
their dreams or maybe go to college?
Jason Earles:
Go to college, live your life, be a normal person.
Miley: I say
do it! Be a freak, go to Hollywood! [laughter] Oh gosh. I'm sorry PMK
[her agent/managers]!
AGW: Well,
it's really up to each person I guess. Are you comfortable with being
a role model to tweens and teens?
Miley: I find
there's two different things. If you look at me as a role model, I agree
with it. You look at me as an idol, I don't. Because, an idol, for me
is someone that you want to replicate, you want to be them. I don't wish
that on anyone to lose what they have personally because that's when your
spark is lost. What I think people like about me and the way they relate
to me is because I don't try to change and I haven't let what I do for
a living become my life and completely affect me. What I do personally
in my life, is not necessarily to be reported but it doesn't mean that
it's not going to be.
AGW: So we
might hear about you doing something that's not perfect then?
Miley: I'm
going to make mistakes and I would not trade that for anything because
I always say that the minute you stop making mistakes is the minute that
you stop learning. If I every stop doing that, we're all in trouble because
that's what life is all about. I never want to disappoint people and my
decisions sometimes, not only disappoint other people but disappoint myself
as well. But, there's times I'm going to do that and, if I don't then,
all of a sudden, I'm not real and then you really can't look up to me.
AGW: Do you
ever want to just put on a wig and hide from the paparazzi?
Miley: I think
that would be fun every once in a while but just being myself is what
I love and, if I ever had to change and become someone else to live this
life, I probably would want to go home and just stay home because I feel
like, when you love what your job is, this is so much more than a job
to me. It is my life but it's not everything I eat, sleep and breathe.
I love it and when I'm working, it's the best thing ever and music is
my number one passion and I love making movies but you can't let it completely
control you. Otherwise, you're just a puppet on a string and you don't
have any of that reality anymore.
AGW: Do you
have a favorite quote that motivates or inspires you?
Miley: Well,
my dad always said that 'a trying time is no time to quit trying'. I think
that's deep. He didn't make it up. It was on a church sign at home so
I would love to give him credit but he told me about it so it's still
good. So, thank you First Baptist or whoever you are. That's a good quote
to remember.
AGW: Can you
update us on any charity work you are doing to give back?
Miley: My
granddad died, this is the third year. It was on the 22nd [of March] so
that was a hard day and he was like my best friend so I have a foundation
called The Pappy Cyrus Foundation. For the City of Hope, we're working
with all kinds of different people. We actually did a couple of trips
back and forth to the White House, that's one of the reasons I was at
the inauguration was so we could get all of American involved. We deal
with homeless shelters. When I was on tour in 2007, my best friend died
of cystic fibrosis and it was right after my granddad had died so I just
had a hard time with that kind of stuff. Then I did a tour with The Jonas
Brothers and we ended up raising two and a half million dollars for City
of Hope and that all went to cures and it was really amazing watching
the process. We got to go to the hospitals and we're sitting there looking
at live cells being placed and it was amazing. One of the coolest experiences
so that's what I work with.
Photos
courtesy of and copyright Walt Disney Pictures, 2009
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