LOS ANGELES — Hannah Montana mania has already conquered TV, the music industry and the touring world. Now it's taken over the film industry — for one week.
Last Friday, theaters nationwide premiered "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," a 3-D film version of the sellout tour — and already, tickets for the film are in short supply. Clearly the "Hannah Montana" brand — which started as a Disney TV series but has branched out into multiplatinum albums and stage shows — hasn't reached saturation point.
The film broke box office records furing its week-long run — which is all good for the 15-year-old star behind the phenomenon, Miley Cyrus.
Her fame would be hard for most adults to handle, but in a recent interview with The Associated Press, Miley seemed to have a good grasp on how to handle the spotlight.
AP: Why do a film version of the tour in 3-D?
Miley: It was mostly because of the tickets and there were so many people that didn't get to come to the show. This is like better than front row. You could reach out and feel like you can touch my hand you could see me right then. Right there, right in front of you, which is so fun. Also just to be able to see behind the scenes which I think is the most clever part of anything. Just getting to see what all goes into this. They can walk around knowing what real hard work it is. I mean I think I have the easiest job.
AP: The movie also features your tour partners, the Jonas Brothers What was it like to perform with them?
Miley: With the Jonases our music is similar but it's definitely not exact. There is a different vibe with the Hannah vibe and the Miley vibe. It's just so many different tastes of music that to have it all in one show it's just cool to introduce the kids to.
AP: Why do you think the Hannah Montana craze exploded last year?
Miley: The kids can relate — like once again with the 3-D movie, it will be even better. They don't even know what they have coming when they get to see it. Just that Hannah Montana and the show are so relatable that not only the celebrity part of it but just getting to see the normal girl underneath it all is really incredible.
AP: Do you think you've been able to create your own identity outside of your famous character?
Miley: This tour was a really good way of doing that. Just kind of breaking out and having my music and get to have not only doing press stuff all the time and being like, 'Miley Miley Miley.' You get to go out in front of 20,000 people every night and show who you really are. I think that's one of the best parts.
AP: Your tour was one of the highest-grossing tours, right up there with the Police and Justin Timberlake. What do you think about that?
Miley: Sometimes, 'It's like wow, I really have to be good. Especially when you hear what people are doing for tickets. It's like this is their one chance to see the show and it's the one night I'm going to be here so it has to be perfect.'
AP: One little girl's mother even had her write a false story claiming her dad was killed in the Iraq war to win tickets to the concert. What was your reaction to that?
Miley: There is so much that has been going on just with everyone. There has been some really bad things happen, there's been some really amazing things happen. Like I remember I was watching CNN today and there was this little girl that couldn't afford to have her surgery. She took her tickets and put a bid for them and now can have her surgery. There has been amazing stories that have been going on with everyone so it's really incredible.
AP: There was a recent controversy involving the brief use of a body double for you onstage. Can you explain why one was used at all?
Miley: It wasn't because I didn't want to sing or because I didn't want to dance ... it was because of time. I usually have an hour and a half to go from Hannah to Miley and I was doing this in one minute 50 seconds. So I needed at least three minutes to go and at least get a little drink of water and like chill for a second. So when I leave the stage the vocals are done. Like I'm done singing. So it wasn't like my vocals were still playing, it was the Jonases who were still singing. So it was really no need for me to be on the stage anyways.
AP: Do the problems of other young stars, like Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy, put more pressure on you to set a better example for kids?
Miley: It does but I mean those persons don't have anything to do with me either. So it's like you just have your own heart and you have your own soul to kind of help you through life.
AP: Do you ever wish that you could just be a regular 15-year-old instead of a teen phenom?
Miley: I do sometimes but then again it definitely is fun and it's been really nice because having my uncle as like my bodyguard and my mom with me and my dad, working with him. My family wants the best for me so they try to find a way so that I can still go out and hang with my friends and also have a normal life of my own.
