Hollywood is sending flowers to Miley Cyrus.
On May 22, the Grammy Award winner and former Disney icon will receive a star on the Walk of Fame. The honor comes a few months after the 20th anniversary special of “Hannah Montana.” On the show, Cyrus once again dressed as the fictional pop star to perform “The Best of Both Worlds,” “This is the Life” and “The Climb,” reunited with her father, country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, and reflected on how the Disney Channel show changed her life and made her one of the most famous artists of her generation.
Cyrus posed for the cover of Variety ahead of the Disney+ special and gave an interview that covered a wide range of topics, including re-embracing the show, overcoming public scrutiny as a teenager, and whether she’ll ever headline the Super Bowl halftime show (the answer is probably).
And, as with any cover story, the magazine only has a limited number of pages, so I made some parts my own. This time, we’re sharing them to celebrate her new honor.
Her favorite “Hannah Montana” episode
My favorite episode is the one with Dolly (Parton). That’s how she and I became so close. Another one of my favorite episodes was when I played Luan, my evil cousin. It’s almost like you need to play another character! I liked throwing another girl into the mix. So it’s another personality.
Cover song you want to try next
I want to do George Michael’s “Father Figure.” I can’t stop listening to that song, and I think it’s really cool from a female perspective. Here’s what I look for in a great cover song: One is that I want songs that I wish I had written. When I hear it, I feel jealous because it’s not mine. And two, I’m always thinking about what emotion it evokes and whether I want to share it. But most of it comes from a place of extreme jealousy and just wishing it was my song.
adapting to fame at a young age
I grew up touring and being on sets around my dad, so it felt very natural to me. I have never felt like a fish out of water. People were really shocked about it and were like, “Was your mind blown when you got to LA?” I never want to think of myself as jaded, but I was in show business, so I wasn’t that into Hollywood. I wasn’t that into the whole thing. It made me more grounded. When this show came out, it wasn’t a shock, but it changed my life.
Advice for young Miley (and Hannah)
To Miley, I would like to say this. Be memorably present. Sometimes I was moving very fast and constantly calculating the next step and not in the moment. Now I can clearly decide what I’m going to do and do it a little at a time so I can focus on each thing. I feel like I can record every moment. And when the moment is important, like when I’m standing at the Grammys and I look out and I see Oprah (Winfrey), I mentally press the record button and say, “Don’t forget this.” This is an important moment. When I was younger, I have fond memories of singing to children at the White House at President Obama’s inauguration. I can see the moment, but it’s mostly a blur. So I tell Miley to slow down and be careful.
For Hannah…I mean, Hannah feels like she has it all figured out. I would definitely tell her to ditch the season 1 wig and tell Disney that you get what you pay for. And the other thing is, because I was her, I didn’t realize how important and how influential she actually was. Hannah was like Mickey Mouse in her own way. She made people feel like they had this little piece of magic. I want Hannah to wake up to Miley Stewart and know that the magic comes from deep within. It’s not about wigs or boots or music. What matters is who you are at your core.
her star map
I’m a Sagittarius. My sister is a Capricorn. I love Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn, all in one. I’m not really interested in astrology, but after reading this book I understood what it meant. I’m kind of a logical wildcard, if that makes sense. I like to do bold things, but I also like to do my own math about it. I want to know what I want before I make a choice. But whatever I say may disappear tomorrow. I definitely like being unpredictable.
