MILEY CYRUS on 'THE LAST SONG'

Contributed by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor for RadioFree.com
March 13, 2010

In the drama The Last Song, disillusioned teen Ronnie Miller (Miley Cyrus) reluctantly spends a summer with her estranged father (Greg Kinnear), reconnecting with him through their shared love of music. As the two experience the highs and lows of making up for lost time, the emotionally guarded Ronnie finds herself building relationships with others, sparking a romance with a local (Liam Hemsworth) and befriending a troubled girl (Carly Chaikin).

Based on a story from bestselling author Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe), The Last Song marks the first time the prolific writer penned a screenplay before its counterpart novel. Written specifically with Cyrus in mind for the lead role, it also represents the Hannah Montana star's first attempt to carry a dramatic feature film, and makes its theatrical debut just as she is about to wrap shooting on the fourth and final season of her hit Disney Channel show.

In this interview, Miley Cyrus talks about working on The Last Song and making a major transition from television to film.

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MEDIA: How do you feel about entering a transition in which you're winding down on Hannah Montana and focusing on a film career going forward?

MILEY: It's interesting to be doing press for this type of movie when, right now, the Disney Channel [is] airing one of the last episodes of Season 3 and now we're finishing up Season 4. So as a new chapter is beginning, one that's been my life for the last five years is ending. So it's interesting to be leaving my security blanket behind, but also it's exciting me by getting [me] involved more with this movie, and making me want to just continue to work and do more films. You know, the season needed a complete ending for Season 3, and we think our show deserves that, too. It was such a huge, big deal in so many kids' lives. They don't want to see reruns forever. They want a really respectful ending. And it really deserves that, because it's been such an amazing journey--you know, it definitely had a beginning, and it needs an end.

Do you think you might do another Hannah Montana movie?

No. Hannah Montana...The wig is... [whistles] ...out! As soon as that last episode [is shot]. It's like, one will be in a museum and one will be burned or something. Because I can't put it on again. It's just too much.

What sort of things did you have to take into consideration in planning this transition?

Well, before, when we were kind of planning when the transition would take place, and when I would leave the show behind, and when I would do something else, everyone was like, "Well, this is what we think we should do." And I've gone these last five years of doing Hannah Montana with everyone telling me what to do, and now it's kind of up to me and what I think is right in my career. And so I just kind of am doing my own direction. And I have to be careful, in a sense, to not lose who I am, and [for] people to lose the "Miley Cyrus" kind of factor, by going to do other characters--I still want them to know who I am, but I just want to extend my audience, and just continue to do what I love, but also give myself new challenges and not just be the same person over and over.

What did you learn from your new foray into drama?

Once I saw one of the final edits, there's always going to be things that you pick yourself apart about. You know, "That's not there, this isn't there..." And I think just go into each day, doing your best, and don't get too attached to anything. Everyone has their job. So I know that everyone else is doing the best they can in what they do, and I'll do the best that I can. So I think just always keep that in mind--you know, just keep it day by day, and just realize that at the end, there will be an edit. That was kind of the hardest thing for me. You know, when I did Hannah Montana, it was something that I was so familiar with. [But] this was like...Watching the edit, I was, "I could have done that better, I could have done that better..." So I think "just don't criticize yourself" [is the lesson learned].

What did you think about Nicholas Sparks writing the role of Ronnie specifically with you in mind?

It was cool because everything that I've done--even [Hannah Montana], even though it's not me, it is a character--there's still elements that are very much like me personally. So it made it easier to go into something new, in a film that wasn't based on Hannah Montana [and] wasn't such a comfort zone, to make it a little bit more like me.

[jokes] Was getting things you liked into the movie part of the master plan?

[jokes] Yeah. You know, with Nicholas writing, I said I liked animals, I like music, hot Australians...That was kind of what I tried to make him write into the book...It was a good choice. It worked out fine, and I owe Nicholas big time!

How would you characterize your first impression of Liam?

I got a little bit nervous about how big he was...Like this way. [makes a gesture regarding his height] Because I was like, "I'm going to have to stand on apple boxes or something." And it made me a little bit intimidated. And even though I'm usually the one that's intimidating someone else, [director Julie Anne Robinson] was like, "You know, he works a lot in Australia. It's going to be awesome. We're going to break him out here." I'm like, "Great. So he's going to be really good. This is my first film, he's worked before." So I was a little bit nervous just with everything.

Julie Anne mentioned that he scored points by opening a door for you...

Yeah, he opened the door and I was like, "He opened the door for me. That was good! He's got the part!" And Julie Anne's all like, "Let's read with him first." I'm like, "Okay! Well, he's got it! I don't care!" But I didn't want to be the one that made the final decision, because if he did end up being crazy, I didn't want to be the one that like ruined the whole thing. But he ended up being awesome and it was so fun. [But] I was a little bit intimidated, which is hard for someone to do that to me.



How did you channel your inner rebel into Ronnie?

I just got to drop the guard for a little while, got to throw all the fits that I wanted to in the past year, kind of on screen. And it was fun to be able to not have to go into work and be necessarily exactly what was on the page. I felt like Julie Anne gave us a lot of freedom to add our own things, and if something didn't feel comfortable or if I didn't...You know, there would be things that we'd say, "I don't think that's right." Or even with anything that was going on with the set, or with what we were wearing, or the way that we looked. I felt really involved. So I think that made it easier, to not just have to look at the page and do exactly what was there, but have the space to be able to grow and add our own personal thing to the character.

What did you have to do to keep your performance from falling into too much melodrama?

Well, I think Julie Anne helped me with that the most. You know, there's a sad scene, I'm like, "Okay, my character would cry. That's what I would do." And she's like, "No, the whole end of the film, the next forty minutes of it, can't just be crying. There has to be some type of dimension to it." And I think that was like the biggest thing that I learned, is to kind of go deeper than that and realize what it's going to be like when you are watching an hour and a half film. You know, you don't just want to see one type of emotion. You want to see her getting through it, trying to put up her guard, trying to have strength. So that was kind of the biggest thing. And I think that was probably why Nicholas maybe even could have feared having me come onboard, because I wasn't as experienced. But Julie Anne kind of helped me do that. Because the crying scenes, they were easy. And when [Ronnie] was being torn up and she was sad. You know, it's easy to bring tears and to cry, but it's a little bit harder to find something beyond that, and be able to see it in your eyes and see it in your body language, and not necessarily just the obvious.

What aspect of Ronnie did you identify with the most?

I was glad I got to have some part in music in the film. It wasn't necessarily singing, which is what everyone always wants to put me into--you know, "Let's give her a singing role!" And I didn't necessarily want to do that. I don't want that to always be the thing that I lean on. But I definitely relate to the music. And again, the animals [were] really cool. Just things that were a little bit of me within the character, but also really different. But I think the music was probably the main thing that I related to.

You learned piano on this project, yes?

Yes. Julie Anne, her favorite thing is when I was like, [feigns melodrama] "It's so hard, I had to take two whole lessons!" And she was like, "You picked it up in two lessons?" I'm like, "I know! It was so difficult!" [laughs] And she was like, "Wow, it takes most people a really long time." But I guess because I'm just used to playing instruments and I'm not really scared to sound like crap...I started kind of messy, and I got better and better. By the end of the movie, I think I finally actually had the song down. So it took me a while.

Do you think you'll stick with the piano?

Yeah, I'd like to continue to play piano. I have a little bit. And learning different styles, too. It wasn't just playing piano, but [also playing] classically--and getting into that style of music was not something I thought I would be into. So that was cool.

How did you like filming on Tybee Island in Georgia?

I would move to Tybee Island just to eat there all the time. I definitely put on a little weight when I got there. [Liam] had to work out. I was like, "I'm just going to eat while he's at the gym!" So it was awesome. I definitely want to go back to Tybee. I like being in the South, but near the beach...There was definitely a lot of food. So I would probably just move there to eat, and then have my other location be LA.

Why did you recently pull the plug on your Twitter account?

I was just kind of tired of telling everyone what I'm doing. I hate when I read things and celebrities are complaining like, "I have no personal life!" I'm like, "Well, that's because you write everything that you're doing!" So I was that person that's like, [feigns melodrama] "I'm so sad, I have no real, normal life! Everyone knows what I'm doing!" I'm like, "Well, that's my fault because I'm telling everyone." And then I tweet, "I'm here" and then wonder why a thousand fans are outside of the restaurant. Well...Hello? I just told them! So I was just kind of thinking that doesn't really make much sense, and everything I'm saying is not really going with what I'm putting on the internet. So yeah, kind of lame.

How is life after Twitter?

I'm a lot less on my phone, I'm a little bit more social. I have a lot more real friends than friends that are on the internet that I'm talking to, which is, like, not cool, not safe, not fun, and most likely not real. I think everything is just better when you're not so wrapped up in that. I just think it's kind of lame, and I feel like I hang out with my friends, and they're so busy taking pictures of what they're doing to put on Facebook, they're not really enjoying what they're doing. And you're going to look back and have ten million pictures, but you're not in one of them because you weren't having fun, you were too busy clicking away. So I think just enjoy the moment you're in and stop telling people about it. Just enjoy it for yourself.

[jokes] Do you realize you're starting to sound like someone's mom?

Yes, I do! I'm telling kids don't be on the internet, it's dangerous, it's not fun, it wastes your life, and you should just be outside playing sports or something, not sitting in front of any type of screen.

What are your current plans for your music career?

Right now, I'm just finishing up my record. My record will be [out] towards the end of the summer. And I'm really excited about that. You know, after doing this film, it was kind of like the test for me to decide what I really wanted to do. And I love making movies. And that's what I want to pursue. And it's not that I don't love music. I love music. If every film could have a part in music, I would [do that]. But I feel like I need to get away from that for a little while. And again, it's just another thing that's kind of my security blanket, and I don't want to always fall back on that. And I just feel like the music industry is so contrived and so political right now. I feel like if people stepped away and said, "We're not going to work like this. It's more about our art than the politics," I feel like maybe it would go back to being respected again. And right now, I just feel like it's lost a lot of respect. And I'd rather be in this industry that I feel like I can be different, and do things that really inspire me.

Thanks for your time.

Thank you.