Enter: Gary Marsh, former president of Disney Channels Worldwide.
“I had this sweet wish that we could turn a fictional pop star into a real star,” Marsh told Cyrus and her mother, Tish Cyrus, backstage.
Marsh read to Cyrus an email he sent to management, in which he said he wanted to “pull the trigger” on Cyrus, a non-trivial name from Tennessee who admitted he was “dangerous.”
It worked.
The sixth-grader at the time didn’t want it “that bad,” Koresi said. But she knew she could sing, she knew she could dance, and she was good at wearing a white wig. So he boarded the plane to LAX and the rest was history.
Putting on the wig felt normal, Cyrus remembered, remembering how he instantly turned into Montana.
Cyrus was paired with actors Mitchell Musso and Emily Osment, who formed the best friend trio that existed during the show.
Disney Channel Legends
Cyrus wasn’t the only breakout star on the Disney Channel when “Hannah Montana” entered the mix.
There were Raven-Symoné, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Dylan and Cole Sprouse, the cast of “High School Musical,” and many other stars who became familiar faces of the Disney-verse.
“Hannah Montana” helped draw more star power.
Taylor Swift, for example, was in the movie “Hannah Montana” as she was starting her career, and she wrote Montana’s last song in the movie, “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home.”
Because of that time, Cyrus said she’s been dubbed a “Disney legend,” arriving with a parking spot whenever she’s in the area. He said that was his favorite.
‘Home Sweet Home’
Throughout the special, Cyrus visited the once-famous set and rummaged through Stewart’s ever-changing wardrobe, pulling in looks from throughout the years with her mom as the pair reminisced about each time she wore each outfit.
Cyrus’ father, Billy Ray Cyrus, who also played his father on the show, joined the interview. The famous two had a daughter and said that although it was not the case, it was as if the program was written for them.
“It was art imitating life imitating art,” said Billy Ray Cyrus. “And you’ve always been Miley to me.”
Gomez also appeared as a guest on the special, as she and Cyrus laughed about their roles as competing pop stars in one episode of “Hannah Montana.”
Chappell Roan — who grew up watching “Hannah Montana” — showed up on set, too.
“You actually left so I could run,” Roan told Cyrus.
Finding himself again
The finale of “Hannah Montana” sees the star hang up her wig to get out of this phase of life and return to her life as a normal child.
But making that change, even in real life, “wasn’t always easy,” recalls Koresi.
“I used to think of Hannah as something different from me. I thought, as a character, even though it was me, I always thought, ‘What could be better for Hannah?’ And I didn’t always think of that as being put together,” Cyrus said to a room full of fans where he sang Montana’s biggest hits. “And what I love about this special is that it’s kind of bringing me back, bringing Hannah and Miley together.”
It took Kores a while to figure out who he was outside of Montana.
“I love being Hannah, I love being Miley Cyrus, I love my people, but what I’m proud of is who I am as a person,” Cyrus told Cooper.
“I am proud that that has always been true. That what I have done has always come from the heart first. It has always been about making the world a better place in what I can offer,” he added.
The special closed with Cyrus performing a new song, “Younger You.”
“Everybody has a dream of wanting to feel loved, and I’ve always felt it … especially to millions of people,” Cyrus said. “But hearing it now, and thinking about what my next 20 years might look like, it’s going to be a lot different than what’s happening on the TV show. But then again, a lot of it is going to be the same.”
