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She’s a multiplatinum hit machine. Her franchise is worth nearly a billion dollars. And, oh yeah, she just got her learner’s permit. You are now entering the crazy, chaotic and completely fun world of Miley Cyrus—fasten your seat belt and hang on as the teen superstar opens up about life, regrets and becoming a woman.
The night before the Oscars, I meet Miley Cyrus at a sushi restaurant in L.A. Like any other fashion-obsessed teenager, she’s bubbling on excitedly about the dress she’s planning to wear the next evening. Her “happy-to-be-invited-to-the-party” attitude is a cute contradiction, given all she’s accomplished so far: Her Disney Channel sitcom, Hannah Montana, debuted as the highest-rated show in the network’s history; one of the series’ soundtracks went double-platinum; tickets for her “Best of Both Worlds” concert tour grossed $55.2 million; and now she’s starring in Hannah Montana: The Movie. The G-rated feature promises to be another huge boost for the Hannah Montana franchise, which is currently projected to be worth more than—ready for this?—$1 billion.
All that’s fine and good, but the 16-year-old is itching to move on to the next phase of her life. She’s maturing professionally (this is her first women’s magazine cover) and personally: Cyrus is dating a 20-year-old model, Justin Gaston. Along the way, she has had to navigate controversy for the first time. She did a shoot for Vanity Fair in which she posed wearing pretty much just a sheet. More seriously, a snapshot surfaced several months ago of Cyrus goofing around with friends and pulling her eyes into slits. The photo sparked accusations of insensitivity to Asians.
Although Cyrus is under far more scrutiny than the average teen, she seems unfazed by her fishbowl existence, talking candidly about the woman she hopes to be and every other topic thrown her way. Read on to catch this mini-mogul on the cusp of change.
GLAMOUR: OK, so I’m sitting here, eating sushi with you, and I have to say, you seem like a totally normal young woman! How is this possible?
MILEY CYRUS: [Laughs.] I think at some point during everyone’s life, you finally figure yourself out. I haven’t even done that yet. I’m still learning who I am.
GLAMOUR: Do you think these past few years of intense fame have given you a different perspective?
MC: I was talking with my mom one day, and I said that I would not change the way I grew up for anything. But, yes, I am really overwhelmed. I went to the Oscars for the first time when I was 13. Then I had my first real relationship; it was hard-core and lasted two years [with Nick Jonas of The Jonas Brothers]. That’s a life-changing experience most people don’t have until they’re 19 or 20. So my life has been on high speed. [My career] is a huge responsibility.
GLAMOUR: So what are some lessons you’ve learned from your mistakes?
MC: I’ve learned how to respect myself and how to say no. I’ve learned who I can really trust. I have 200 or 300 friends, but I probably trust four. When I read something in the tabloids and it’s from an “insider,” I want to know who thinks they’re on the “inside.” Because I can count on one hand the people who really know me. There’s my best friend, Mandy; I can tell her anything without being judged. There’s Jason Earles, who’s on my show—he’s like a big brother to me. There’s my big sister, Brandi. And the best thing that’s happened to me in a long, long time has been meeting Justin [Gaston], because he’s the most respectful and selfless person I’ve ever known.
GLAMOUR: Do you worry that your boyfriend is so much older?
MC: I don’t feel like I’m doing anything wrong, and I’m ready for people to accept it. My fans already accept it—they just want me to be happy. And I haven’t been that happy in a few years…working so hard, moving to L.A. from Nashville, going through a bad breakup [with Nick Jonas]. I’m finally happy again, and I think that is reflected in my music and my work. So honestly, I don’t feel like there’s anything to hide. And I love him so much I don’t really care.
GLAMOUR: How did you meet?
MC: My dad introduced us on the Hannah Montana set. I looked so bad that day. I was wearing sweats and glasses and we talked. Then he showed up the next day and said, “I can’t stop thinking about you. Can I take you to a movie?” When he took me home, I said, “I don’t want to get close to you, because I don’t know where this is going to go.” And he said, “Well, you can’t live like that.” So we took a three-mile walk, and talked and talked. And I felt 10 pounds lifting from my shoulders. Now he’s my best friend.
GLAMOUR: Your dad is such a huge part of your life. You guys seem to have a really good relationship.
MC: This may sound weird coming from a teenager, but I like when my dad is a little frustrated with me or upset with me, because I really feel like that’s not how most dads are in this business. Most parents with kids in the business say, go free, do what you want. My parents did not want me to go all Hollywood.
GLAMOUR: It seems so hard to avoid that.
MC: It is! At one of the very first awards shows I ever did, there was a bottle of vodka in my gift bag. No one cared that they were giving this to a 12-year-old.
GLAMOUR: You’re kidding me!
MC: I think that’s what’s messed up so many people. I feel like the rules are the rules, you know? If you’re not 21, you don’t get into a bar. You don’t go to clubs. In this business you see so many people who are told yes all the time, and if someone says no, they get all upset. They look to their publicist, manager or agent for approval, rather than their parents.
GLAMOUR: Can you ever imagine your life playing out like Britney Spears’ or Lindsay Lohan’s? They started out as squeaky-clean Disney stars too.
MC: The last thing I ever want to do is disappoint my parents. My mom’s dad died when she was 18, and if something ever happened to one of my parents, I’d want them to go knowing I made them proud. I think it’s selfish to go out partying all the time, especially if you have little ones [in your family]. I have a nine-year-old sister, and I don’t want her to go to school and have people make fun of her for it.
GLAMOUR: This year there were pictures that came out that made you look racist. What do you say to people who were offended by that?
MC: I regret what it became. I was embarrassed and I apologized. And I am sorry. I am going to be more careful in the future, but I know this won’t be the last mistake I make. The minute I stop making mistakes is the minute I stop learning.
GLAMOUR: Obviously you’ve earned a huge salary from all the work you do. How do you deal with having so much of your own money?
MC: In this industry there are so many things that can take over your life: money, alcohol, drugs—even fashion. People hand you things, and you start to believe life is easy. And it’s not like that—you’re not supposed to be the person you play in the movies. I’m doing fine, and I’ll be able to live comfortably for a while. But I like keeping my mind as far away from money and the material aspects of my job as possible.
GLAMOUR: So you wouldn’t walk into a store and drop $1,000 on a handbag?
MC: I feel like it looks bad, always having a different $1,000 bag. I do have limits on my money. I like calling my mom to ask, “Can I have that?” Because I know I can be spending my money more wisely.
GLAMOUR: You’ve used your fame as a platform for cancer fund-raising. What drew you to that particular cause?
MC: My granddad died of lung and prostate cancer, and he was my best friend. I’ve also lost friends, not just to cancer. My best friend died of cystic fibrosis. It just kills me to see people lose someone they love, so I want to do as much as I can: give money to doctors and hospitals; get nurses in there that care; put a smile on a little kid’s face. The things we’ve done through City of Hope [a cancer research, education and treatment center] have been amazing: The Jonas Brothers and I have raised nearly $2.5 million through concerts.
GLAMOUR: Who are some of your role models in Hollywood?
MC: This is actually funny. I’m a huge Jennifer Aniston fan and a huge Angelina Jolie fan. Jennifer Aniston can put on a plain black dress, with plain makeup and hair, and look so stunning. Angelina always looks so comfortable in her own skin: At a premiere she was wearing a pantsuit—what woman throws that on and looks smoking hot? She’s also changed every couple of years, going from wild child to being a mom and having a normal life. And Jennifer Aniston bounced back after her divorce. She could have gone crazy with so many different guys, but she didn’t. If anything like that ever happens to me, I’m like, Pull a Jennifer, Miley! She is so classy.
GLAMOUR: How do you feel about the pin-thin-body trend in young Hollywood?
MC: I think it’s lame, because it will eat at you forever. I’ve been at photo shoots where I’ve tried something on and said, “Oh my gosh, why don’t these fit?” But I’ll never be a six-foot-tall, 95-pound model; I’m meant to have a little more meat on my bones. One thing that bugs me is people who say, “Miley really needs to lose some weight,” or, “She got her boobs done.” I did start out really skinny, but you’re not going to have boobs when you’re 12 years old. I’m like, what are you talking about—let me grow!
GLAMOUR: So do you ever feel like you’ve missed out on having a childhood, or worry you’re growing up too fast?
MC: At times I feel I’m very mature for my age, but other times I feel very immature. I still like to sleep with my parents sometimes. I’ll go into their bedroom and snuggle with my mom, because I’ve been working all day and haven’t seen her. Or my dad will give me a piggyback ride. I’m not around other people my age that much, so I don’t know how 16-year-olds are supposed to act! I just do what feels right.
GLAMOUR: Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
MC: Hopefully I’ll be settled: making movies, living in a house, maybe even married. I think my mom did everything pretty close to perfect, and I want to be the cool mom that the kids run home to. For now I’m still learning who I am. One minute I have black hair, the next it’s red. One day I’m wearing Converse sneakers, and the next I’m in the hippie look. I definitely feel like I know myself more than I ever have, but I don’t feel rushed to figure myself out. I have all the time in the world to do that.
