We hear a lot about the wage gap in Hollywood these days (about time), and the latest celebrity to open up about learning to fight for fair pay is none other than Miley Cyrus. In a new interview, Cyrus discussed her current philosophy for living in the spotlight with Elle—and she got real about being underpaid on the show that launched her into teen superstardom, Hannah Montana.
She may have become one of the most famous teenagers in the world, but Miley wasn't exactly living it up like her pop star character. When she got her big break with Disney, Cyrus said she was "probably the least paid person" on the show because she and her family were naive about the business side of the entertainment world.
She told Elle, "Even though my dad was in the industry, he so wasn't. But he was very smart—we have a huge farm in Nashville that he bought for nothing, and now it's, like, a music capital. But I did not grow up spoiled in any way. I just wanted to be on TV. I mean, at one point—they’ll probably kill me for saying it—I was probably the least paid person on my [Hannah Montana] cast because I didn’t know any better. I was just like, I can be on Disney! Yeah, I want to do it! My name was Miley on my show, but I didn’t own my name—we didn’t think about that. Like, Yeah, you can use my name on your show, sure!"
It seems like the Cyrus family wisened up quickly, though, and a team was eventually brought on to make sure that Miley was treated fairly.
"My mom started understanding how many people take advantage of a child, so she hired smart people to protect me in that way. I'm happy that when I was younger, people protected me and put me in a position where I can now control my music."
Cyrus went on to say that she's changed a lot since those days—and hopefully, now she's learned to always fight for the compensation she deserves.