Miley Cyrus was named a Disney Legend last night (August 11) at the D23 Expo, making her the youngest person to receive the honour.
Cyrus, 31, was among 14 artists to be celebrated with the Disney Legend, a Hall of Fame award given to individuals who have "made a significant impact on the Disney legacy." Other entertainers also honoured on the night included Harrison Ford, Angela Bassett and Jamie Lee Curtis.
“I’m definitely going to cry,” Cyrus said as she took the stage, revealing she had two speeches prepared. “One long, if I’m the badass that I’m supposed to be, and one short, if I get scared.”
“In 2005, Disney was on a mission to rebuild and reimagine the company — that’s why they hired Bob Iger and me,” she continued. “I remember this clearly because it was during the auditioning process of Hannah Montana. There was a buzz in that Burbank Disney office, where it’s rumored they create all of us Disney kids. I definitely wasn’t created in a lab and if I was, there must have been a bug in the system which caused me to malfunction somewhere between the years of 2013 and 2016. Sorry Mickey!”
Cyrus recalled making her first ever public appearance as Hannah Montana, performing at a mall in front of a crowd before anyone even knew of the now famous character.
“They gave away tickets at the Glendale mall where I would have my first free concert," she said. "The first song I opened with was titled 'This Is the Life,' which of course no one knew, because in reality I was a little girl in a blonde wig at the mall with a big dream. But in my heart I was Hannah Montana, and I was so proud to be.”
"A little bit of everything has changed ... but at the same time, nothing has changed at all," she added. "I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana. In so many ways, this award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing loyal fans, and to everyone who has made my dream a reality. To quote the legend herself, 'This is the life.' "
Before Cyrus took the stage, country star Lainey Wilson performed a tribute to her singing the Hannah Montana classic "Best of Both Worlds"
See clips of Cyrus's speech and Wilson's performance below.
@people #MileyCyrus quoting #HannahMontana while accepting her #Disney Legend award. 😭❤️ #D23 ♬ original sound - People Magazine
@hollywoodreporter #laineywilson performs #hannahmontana song “The Best of Both Worlds” while honoring #mileycyrus at #d23 ♬ original sound - The Hollywood Reporter