Cyrus became interested in acting at age nine when the family briefly lived in
Toronto, Canada. Her first acting role was as a guest star on her father's television series
Doc, in which she played a girl named Kylie. In
2003, she played "Young Ruthie" in
Tim Burton's Big Fish and was credited as Destiny Cyrus. She was also featured in
Rhonda Vincent's music video for "If Heartaches Have Wings", and appeared on
Colgate Country Showdown with her father, who was hosting the program.
Cyrus was eleven years old when she originally auditioned for Disney for the lead as well as the "best friend" roles; Disney Channel executives then judged her to be "too small", however Miley was persistent in her desire to be part of the show, so Disney called her back for further auditions when she turned 12. According to Disney Channel Executive Vice President
Gary Marsh, Cyrus was chosen for
Hannah Montana because of her energetic and lively performance and was seen as a person who "loves every minute of life", with the "everyday relatability of
Hilary Duff and the stage presence of
Shania Twain". She spent several years to get rid of her Southern accent, but in the end Disney wanted her to revive it. Later in an unusual twist, Cyrus had to audition her own father,
Billy Ray Cyrus, to see if he would fit the role as Hannah's dad. Cyrus currently stars in
Hannah Montana as the lead character
Miley Stewart, whose
alter ego is the
pop music sensation
Hannah Montana. Cyrus also performs in character as Hannah Montana for albums and concerts.
In 2004, Cyrus became a spokesperson for
Daisy Rock Guitars, when she was presented with her first
Daisy Rock guitar— the Stardust Series Acoustic Electric Pink Sparkle. It was given to her by her parents from her father's
Country Music Television fan meet-and-greet when she was twelve years old.
On
June 22, 2006, a performance of a
Hannah Montana concert (featuring Cyrus as Hannah Montana) at
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon in
Walt Disney World in
Orlando, Florida was recorded for the Disney Channel. Cyrus spent the rest of 2006 opening for
The Cheetah Girls on 20 dates of their 39-city tour. Cyrus also appeared in the Disney Channel
Hannah Montana promotion, "Hannah Montana's Backstage Secrets", in which she portrays Hannah Montana in a fictional interview set in the show's
canon.
Walt Disney Records released the
Hannah Montana soundtrack on
October 24, 2006. The soundtrack included eight of the songs that Cyrus performed as Hannah Montana. Cyrus also signed a four-album major record deal with
Hollywood Records for her own albums. On
December 25 2006, Cyrus performed as Hannah Montana at the
Walt Disney Christmas Parade, singing her version of the holiday classic "
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree".
On
June 26, 2007, exactly eight months after the release of the first soundtrack, Cyrus released a double album,
Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus. The first disc served as the second
Hannah Montana soundtrack, while the second disc was Cyrus' debut album as herself. She co-wrote, eight of the ten songs and was credited as "Destiny Hope Cyrus". Cyrus had a brief cameo in
High School Musical 2 credited as "Girl at Pool", where she danced in front of the pool wearing a yellow baby doll top before the end credits.
While attending the
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix premiere, Cyrus stated that they are working on ideas for a Hannah Montana movie. The feature-length film is to be produced by Cyrus's both on and off-screen dad,
Billy Ray Cyrus.
Disney released a
Hannah Montana clothing collection in late summer. Cyrus helped to design some of the pieces from the collection. "It's not a costume. A tween girl isn't doing dress-up, they want to look like they could be Hannah Montana's friend. This is a fashion line.". The
Jonas Brothers will be the opening act. Tour tickets for each date have been selling out in record time after they have gone on sale disappointing large numbers of fans.. In Summer 2007, she began appearing as Yatta on
The Emperor's New School as a guest star, but the role soon blossomed into a recurring role. In December 2007, Miley Cyrus was ranked at #17 in the
Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25, with an annual earning of US$3.5 million.
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