Is Miley Cyrus Too Young for 'Sex'?

By Erin Carlson Posted Oct 21st 2009 02:00PM

Miley Cyrus, "Sex and the City" star? Upon hearing that the Disney Channel teen queen will make a cameo in the movie sequel to the R-rated franchise, we had to wonder: Was Miley making the right decision?

PopEater talked to several industry experts about the 16-year-old's role in the film and what it means for her career. Click for more.

Granted, Miley's image is no longer that of a squeaky-clean Disney princess. While "Hannah Montana" made her a role model for gazillions of tween girls, the 16-year-old megastar has strayed from that mother-approved aura of wholesomeness with a slew of PR disasters: There was the scandalous Vanity Fair portrait, in which she revealed her bare back while swaddled in a bed sheet; her relationship with an older model, Justin Gaston; the racy photos that leaked online after hackers invaded her cell phone. Recently, she raised eyebrows at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards for performing her hit song "Party In the U.S.A." along a dance pole, of all things.

Yet, Miley -- who turns 17 next month -- has managed to transcend the hoopla with her dignity intact and ever-growing success. For those banking on a "True Hollywood Story" downward spiral, consider this: The outspoken non-Twitterer has a No. 1 single, the feel-good pop anthem "Party In the U.S.A"; she's back on tour playing to sellout crowds; and her acting career is heating up thanks to a starring role in the upcoming drama "The Last Song," written especially for her by Nicholas Sparks. (She plays, go figure, a rebellious teenager.)

With everything she's got going on, a brief appearance in "SATC" seems like a small thing, something exciting to check off her list as she expands her entertainment empire. Plus, as Miley told Vanity Fair last year, it's her "favorite show."

"It's a fun wink-wink cameo," says Carissa Rosenberg, entertainment director at Seventeen magazine. "Millions of women are gonna have their eyeballs on her--and why not?"

In her scene, filmed Friday in Manhattan, Miley reportedly plays herself and shows up to a movie premiere sporting the same strapless gold dress as Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall); according to Us Weekly, this potential red-carpet faux pas forces Anthony (Mario Cantone) to quip, "Mother of god. She is wearing the same dress as Hannah Montana."

As Rosenberg sees it, Miley has been graduating from her Disney Channel alter ego for some time and stands no chance of alienating her fans with a guest role in the sequel to the "SATC" movie, which did gangbusters at the box office in summer 2008.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=684534&pid=684533&uts=1256139869

http://www.popeater.com/mm_track/popeater/music/?s_channel=us.musicpop&s_account=aolpopeater,aolsvc&omni=1&ke=1

http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf

Miley Cyrus Pics

Miley Cyrus hits the set of Sex In The City in NYC with Kim Cattrall Oct 16, 2009 X17online.com exclusive

T/X17online.com

"Any girl would die to be on `Sex And the City," she says of the iconic HBO series-turned-global phenomenon.

This is a step forward in her career, says Ian Drew, editor-at-large of Us Weekly.

"It's absolutely a great move," Drew says. "Everybody wants a cameo. Everybody wants to be in that movie."

(Indeed, word is Penelope Cruz and Liza Minnelli will also make appearances).

Drew credits Miley's parents (her dad is "Hannah Montana" co-star and country crooner Billy Ray Cyrus) with supporting her as she navigates Hollywood and makes smart choices.

"She's gotta grow up sometime," says Drew, who insists Miley must continue to take on more mature acting roles to break out of the child-star mold.

Branding expert Charlie Walk says Miley appearing in "SATC" allows Miley to reach out to a wider demographic, which is also what she's accomplishing with ageless, crossover songs like "The Climb," which topped the adult contemporary charts.

"You can't look at Miley Cyrus as a Disney artist anymore," says Walk, CEO of the entertainment company CWE Media. "You need to look at her as Miley Cyrus Incorporated."

Walk calls Miley's career momentum a "natural evolution" that speaks to the power of her brand: aspirational yet accessible and down to earth.

Says Walk, "If you are Miley Cyrus fan, you feel she's talking with you, not at you. A whole 'nother thing's happening: She's being accepted."

Tags: Kim Cattrall, KimCattrall, miley cyrus, MileyCyrus, sex and the city, sex and the city 2, SexAndTheCity, SexAndTheCity2

Comments

(287)

Wednesday 21 October

By jeremy

Vote down Vote up Report this

How can you blame a young girl for falling into the role that the corporation which brought her up laid for her? The Disney Co. has sold sex through it's shows and music since the mid-90's and every time it happens it seems to be the people themselves that get blamed. THIS IS TERRIBLE, PLEASE SAY SOMETHING TO THE ONES RESPONSIBLE AND STOP ABUSING POUR TALENTED KIDS WHO FALL INTO THEIR PLAN TO MAKE MORE MONEY!!

By Mike

What first attracted me to Miley Cyrus was that she was different, and she seemed to have good morals about her which nowadays is very rare in Hollywood. I am a fan and so I have the right to voice an opinion here; no one has to like it and no one doesn't have to agree. I know that Miley can't always be a Disney star, cause there seems to be an age limit to that, but she doesn't have to start going the way of a Britney Spears either, who flip flops every chance she gets. Not that she cares but Miley will lose me as a fan and my interest in her if she starts sinking low for money and attention. I feel she is better then that, but hey I was fooled before so it can happen again. If she wants to make a long career in the entertainment world then why not try something different and keep standing up against smut and things such as that, instead of joining the crowd and just being another here today and gone later today and living off of royalities. Just an opinion.

Thursday 22 October

By jw

Any girl would die to be on `Sex And the City,"

By rebecca

omg get over it. shes a chick, if we keep prying like this she is going to end up like britney.

By hcc11111

Just another hollyscank. There are just a handful of woman in hollywood that don't look or more importantly act like SCANKS

By Mark H

Transitioning form Disney girl is one thing but going straight to vixen at age 17 is advancing too far too fast.

I agree with what you said about Disney, it's too bad they went that way of pushing young kids in the fashion that they do. You would think that the parents of these young stars would know better; but hey when your youngster is making mega bucks I guess it's easy for most of them to look the other way. Sad if you ask me, but it is the world that we created isn't it?

By Abbi Kanami

Miley Cyrus is the most vulgar and pathetic piece of ass that ever showed up to appeal to younger girls. This is the "Teen Diva"? Forget that her handlers want her to break out of the "Disney" mold- this is a matter of having morals. LITTLE GIRLS, our future generation, is looking at her and still saying "I WANNA BE JUST LIKE HER!!" Look at Amanda Bynes, she has morals ans still made it big- Hollywood should admire her. If Hollywood had any dignity left, they would drop the disgusting act and make things right and put some REAL entertainment on the screens of America. (Speaking of America, "Party in the USA" and the dance pole really did good to America's image as the land of Opportunity.)

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

she didn't get those round lips from eating square meals

By autumn

hi im thirteen years old and i use to LOOK UP to Miley Cyrus..But now? NO WAY, she has turned into a very bad role model for young teens and kids!It's really gross to thinking of Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana, on Sex In the City...

By marc

umm, the fact that any of you care, shows that this country is perhpas the stupidest in the post industrial world. I mean who cares what that talentless twat does?

By dale

I hope the nightmares are gone,what kind of monster would give
nightmares to such a delicate and saintly illegal minor? If indeed she is having nightmares.

By Rich

Hellllo its Miley Cirus or citrus "who Cares". Who actually cares whats she has done. Let nature take its course. She was great as a kid on Disney but she will never make it as an adult. Ten years from now the only way she will be able to re-start her career is a nudie in penthouse.

By Vicki Fowler

Miley and her daddy are trash.

By mary

They're trying to advance her career (a bit too quickly however) so she doesn't have those "odd dry years" like Shirly Temple did, going from youth start to adult star.

By Sarah

I hate all the Miley Cyrus haters. Get a life! Let Miley live her's. How is it inappropriate for her to have a cameo in SATC? So is it inappropriate for the little girl that plays Charlotte's daughter to be in it too? It's just a cameo. Get over it. And I watched the Teen Choice Awards (loved her performance!) and that was not a "stripper pole". I hate how uptight people are in this country. And for the most part the people talking trash about Miley are hippocrites, cuz they're not perfect. Stop being so mean to Miley, she's 16. I hate looking at message boards and seeing the horrible, disgusting things I've seen written about her. It's just not right. Anyways, Miley is AMAZING! Love her and can't wait to see what she does next!

By Jamie

Completely agree!! Everyone says that she's the next Lindsay Lohan, or Brittany Spears. Has she done anything as bad as taking drugs or shaving her head? No she hasn't and she has a right to make those decisions. I trust that her parents have raised her right and that she's got a good head on her shoulders.

By Polly

I agree with you 100%. These people need to get a life and stop worrying what she is doing. I don't think there is one thing she has done to deserve these stupid comments from people. She can't be a child for ever, she has to grow up like everyone else. Give her a break, its a hard life living under a microscope every day with the whole world looking at what you are doing, i think she and her parents are doing a great job dealing with it.

Oh please! Come on!! She's 16, all 16 year old girls have made mistakes and mothers and PAPARAZZI are taking things too far. All teenagers are going to make mistakes. Miley has a good head on her shoulders and a family that supports her. If her father supports her cameo appearance in Sex and the City then it's alright with her family. Besides, she's not having sex in the movie! If she was then her parents would go NO WAY!!

By Danielle

Who cares.

Page 5 of 15