© THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
This past Sunday, one of Disney’s highest honors was given to actress and singer Miley Cyrus. The 31-year-old singer received an award as a Disney Legend on August 11 and is now the youngest legend ever.
Cyrus was emotional as she accepted the honor at a D23 event in California, having prepared both a long and short speech in case she got nervous. Cyrus spoke about the first time she was cast as Hannah Montana in 2005. She didn’t originally land the role, but Cyrus said landing it gave her a taste of what her career could look like. From that point on all she wanted to do was play Hannah.
While some things in Cyrus may have changed through the years, she said the core of her identity remains the same. She proudly declared herself still in love with Hannah and her longtime fans. Cyrus dedicated the award to them and everybody who helped make her dreams a reality.
Cyrus became a star in the title role of Miley Stewart, a regular teenager who moonlights as famous pop star Hannah Montana. This was a very successful run that lasted from 2006-2011 on the Disney Channel, in addition to her starring in movies and concert tours for Hannah Montana.
The sixteen-year anniversary marked Cyrus performing a song of Hannah’s, as a thank you to her fans who had followed her through the years. Most recently, Cyrus has stated that she would be open to revisiting Hannah if the opportunity were to arise and update the character for today’s times.
