- Miley Cyrus is the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious Disney Legends award, a Hall of Fame type gong given by the company
- The singer thanked Hannah Montana fans for their support over the years
- Harrison Ford, Jamie Lee Curtis and Angela Bassett were also among the list of 14 inductees
She rocketed to the spotlight aged just 13 in the Disney channel show, Hannah Montana.
And with a career spanning almost 25 years, it’s no wonder that Miley Cyrus is finally being given her ‘Flowers’ as an entertainer.
The singer, 31, was this week the proud recipient of a Disney Legends award – the youngest person to be handed the gong in history.
Accepting the award during a ceremony in California on August 11, Cyrus – who won her first Grammy this year for her track, Flowers – delivered an emotional speech to the audience.
“Before I get started, I’m gonna let everybody in on a little Disney Legend secret. I’m the one that tells you what you’re not supposed to know,” she said. “And what I want to say is that legends get scared, too. I’m scared right now, but the difference is we do it anyway, and all of you can do that every single day.
“It’s legendary to be afraid and do it anyway. There is no such thing as failure when you try. That’s the only way you lose [by not trying]. The way you win is to try.”
Joking that Disney’s 2005 mission to rebrand the company was why they “hired Bob Iger and me”, Cyrus also referenced recent rumors that Disney children were manufactured – and gave a cheeky apology to her wild child years.
“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 ’16. Sorry, Mickey!”
Cyrus also recalled the early days of Hannah Montana – a show about a normal teenage girl who lives a double life as a pop star.
“They gave away tickets at the Glendale mall where I would have my first free concert,” she explained. “And 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.”
Cyrus concluded, “A little bit of everything has changed since that day. But at the same time, nothing has changed at all. I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana because she made Miley 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.’”
‘I’m so very grateful’, says Harrison Ford
Cyrus wasn’t the only recipient of the prestigious award during the ceremony.
Star Wars and Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford was also named as a Disney Legend, alongside Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis.
Other big names in the 14-strong list of inductees was composer John Williams, Oscar-nominee Angela Bassett, and Titanic filmmaker James Cameron.
Ford said he was “really delighted and a little bit embarrassed” to be honored but also “so very grateful”.
“I have the privilege of being a storyteller, an assisted storyteller,” the 82-year-old said. “I love the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with.”
In her speech, Curtis noted, “The truth is, legends aren’t formed – they’re created when they’re nurtured and educated.”
The 65-year-old was introduced by Lindsay Lohan, who played her daughter in the 2003 version of Freaky Friday. The pair will reprise their roles next year in the sequel, Freakier Friday.
