Miley Cyrus press conference for Hannah Montana: The Movie

Q: How close to reality is the story of the movie with balancing the real Miley and the Hannah Montana persona?

Miley Cyrus: I feel like it's just important for me to explain the reality of the movie, because as it's shown in the TV show, it's not realistic for this double act to work, and it can't work. Anyone over the age of 14 is going to understand that, and we needed to prove that in the movie that there is something special about the Hannah Montana life, and it's not that it's real but it's that it's this fantasy, that's it's of Superman to girls. It's the cape, it's the wig, that thing that makes you so fabulous, because all of a sudden your life is all of a sudden changed but it's important to grow up and important to show everyone that we understand as producers and as an actress that it's not realistic.

Q: Do you ever feel like you need to give yourself a break, like go away and go back to Tennessee like your character does?

MC: I wish I had more time to. That was the longest I was in Tennessee since I left, and it was awesome. I really hope that I can move back there at some point because that's what I want. I just want a nice house there, where can I really escape. It was great. There were times for three or four weeks just straight I was just in Nashville, and it really made me miss home. So I hope I can go back at some point, for sure.

Q: Do you ever wish that you could have that persona like Hannah Montana has where you could be completely away from the paparazzi and be Miley Cyrus in private?

MC: I think that would be fun every once in a while, but for me, just being myself is what I love. 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 just feel like when you love what your job is, this is so much more than a job for me. It really 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, because otherwise you are just a puppet on strings, and you don't have any of that reality anymore. If you had that real persona, you don't know who you are anymore. So it's just about still knowing who you are.




"Hanna Montana The Movie" World Premiere - Arrivals - El Capitan Theatre 04/02/2009 - Chris Hatcher / PR Photos

Q: Do you have a positive saying or quote that your dad told you that motivates and inspires you?

MC: My dad always said, "A trying time is no time to quit trying" so I think that's deep. He did not make it up, it was on a church sign at home. 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 so that's a good quote to remember.

Q: Are you ready to grow up?

MC: Yeah, of course I'm growing up. I started the show when I was 11 years old, and I'm from Franklin and it was great going back home but yeah, I have grown up. It's hard because you see people grow up in the spotlight all the time and immediately, as soon as they start changing, they don't necessarily have the baby face anymore, you hear that they've done all this plastic surgery and they've done all this stuff to change, but it's a part of growing up. You can't be the 12-year-old that just moved here forever.

Q: So what has been the biggest change before Hannah and now?

MC: Well, I'm from Nashville originally, and obviously it was a huge change in location, when I moved here. It's definitely a lot different, but I liked it, and I learned a lot by living here, because you have to grow up kind of quickly to live in LA, but it's also just about taking your time and learning and embracing every moment. That's what I think the movie really talks about. It really shows that that what it's about. It's not about where you're going or where your final destination may be, it's about who you want to become and about embracing every moment.

Q: Do you also have to suss people out in Hollywood?

MC: It's harder here finding people that are real. There's this quote by Andy Warhol that is awesome and basically it's all about everything being fake in Hollywood and then everything's being plastic and I think that's really cool, because when you think about it, it is kind of like that in this city. It's very much where you don't know what's real or fake or not, because everything has a motive, and always wanting to get something. That's the reason I see so many girls come up to me, in random places in LA and it will be like, "Oh my gosh, I'm here for pilot season, and I'm out here." There's this whole season, dedicated to making kids come in and wearing hair and makeup and ready to be cast and judging nine and ten-year-olds on the way that they look, when they come into a room. My little sister is one of those girls that is working on pilot season and she'll say, "I don't think the casting director thought I was pretty." To hear an eight-year-old say that is really heartbreaking, so that's what I think. It's harder to realize who people are, because you'll not get jobs or you will get jobs and you'll do things or not get to do things because of the way you look, or you're body's not fit for the role, that's what I think the hardest part about living in LA is.

Q: What is the biggest misconception about you?

MC: I get a lot of those, I tell ya'! I feel like a lot of people, you hear them all the time say they're so grateful for their fans and they are 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. I think people always will say I am overworking and I am overexposed and all I want is the attention. That's not true. What I love is the art of it all. 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's taught me that it's all about the time. If the time isn't right, nothing is going to fall into place. I do listen to him every once in a while. So I feel like once the time is right, I'll be able to do those things and I just want people to realize that I really am grateful for what I do and I really do care about the fans. I can't help if there are 40 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 that I would have all those people outside my house, I might have given myself a second thought.

Q: What do you like the most about yourself?

MC: There's days that you'll feel bad and not necessarily finding things that you like, but there's times where you've just got to put that smile on. I think the best thing for me is that I will be having a hard day or something and the one thing that I really like about myself is that I know that I can snap myself out of it. I can put a smile on my face and that will make me feel better.

Q: Does it hurt when people like Perez Hilton writes nasty stuff about you?

MC: It can be. The thing about that is, that's just a mean person, and is not just a nice person in genera. I don't think it's cool. I mean, I don't know how old he is, but taking it out on me is a little strange. It's kind of like going back to high school, and it's just kind of dumb in general, but it does hurt and I think you've got to pick it up, because next week I'm going to London and Paris and Italy and all these places that I've never gotten to go before. I get to do that, while someone sits in front of the computer and writes mean things about me. So I'd much rather be the one traveling and getting to go to all these wonderful places than be the person that I'm sure it's hard for people to say things like that and not care at all, because I'm sure at some point it will bother him acting that way.

Q: Will you always put on a smile to cover up hurt feelings?

MC: I think everyone does that. Whether you're in the business or not, people will always act that way and people have insecurities. If you don't have insecurities, then you're not human, because everyone feels that way. For me I think it's just about being able to take a break and having a good team. I have a good team luckily and my team consists of God, my family, my friends and people that I work with, and the people that I work with are awesome and will always give me that time to be myself and I think that's the most important thing.




Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

MC: Hopefully I'm still working, because I love it, and doing films. That's what I love and I love to become settled because right now, my life is so crazy and I would love that, just to be able to kind of be having my normal life and just doing movies on and off but getting to spend a lot of time with my family.

Story/Interview by Fred Topel

Starpulse contributing writer

(Starpulse in Hollywood): Every week, Hollywood's biggest stars are meeting in the hot spots and Starpulse is there.