Miley Cyrus’ dad had to audition for a role in Hannah Montana

Teen sensation Miley Cyrus has revealed she auditioned her own dad for a role in her smash hit TV show.

Miley stars in the hugely popular Disney show Hannah Montana - and her real life dad Billy Ray Cyrus plays her dad on the show. But in an Oscar special interview with ABC's Barbara Walters, Miley has revealed Achy Breaky Heart singer Billy Ray actually had to audition for the role.

Miley told Walters: "We were making jokes the whole ride there and I was like: 'Dad do you want the job?'

"And he said: 'Ok Miley, let's think about it'. It was funny but it was also really weird because my dad comes in and then another guy and then another guy.

"And you are like: 'That's so weird'.

"Because really you can't play favourites with the other guys and you can't act like you are going to one up them because he's your dad.

"But,  duh, it's my dad.

"I was on YouTube the other day and someone had my audition tape and I was like: 'Wow, that's so weird that you could like find that and anyone could look at that'.

"So I was watching the audition tape of me and my dad together.

"And it was just so funny because it was just the same then as it is now. We still do the same stuff which is so cool."

However despite the huge success of Hannah Montana, Miley also revealed her dad was worried about her going into showbiz.

She told Walters: "He was always telling me: 'Hollywood is a heartbreak waiting to happen, don't put yourself in that if you're not ready, I don't want to see my little girl get hurt'.

"I think that for him it was more that he didn't want to see his little girl get hurt, crying and upset but every time I got knocked down, I wanted to get back up again."

She also assured Walters that she had no intention of following in the footsteps of other former child stars Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan.

Miley added: "For me as I know that some people don't have a family to fall back on like I have and that's when something even greater than that comes in and that's faith and that's love.

"I have and for me that's what keeps me strong.

"And I do think that a lot of these people do have Christian families and they are just not seeing that they are greater than the materialistic things that are there right now, going out and the parties or whatever.

"But people who are the ones that you want to hold on to are the people that tell you the truth.

"And that's your family. "Sometimes they can be a little harsh and say things that can be honest and that can hurt sometimes."

Walters also asked her how she felt about Britney's younger sister Jamie Lynn falling pregnant at just 16 - and Miley admitted that while they were friends she was 'pretty confident' that nothing like that would ever happen to her.

She added: "That's hard when it's your friends. Jamie Lynn is a friend of mine but also I know how strong she is as a person and it's pretty cool that she's stepped away.

"That's what I would have to do.

"I know all those girls but the main goal for me is the reason is also the reason I feel pretty confident that I won't end up like that is because I can go out there and be more of a light to them and live the way I long to live.

"The reason my dad named me Destiny Hope in the first place is because he always said it was my destiny to bring hope and I think that's the same kind of thing that I want to do.

"There are so many people that have come up to me during our shows and tell me: 'The hour that we are watching your show is the hour that my kids are happiest and are smiling, they are laughing,' and that is what I long to do.

"To be the person that you can open up a magazine and see my face and there will be a quote that is so positive it will get people through it.

"That's what my destiny is."

Despite seeming wise beyond her years, Miley did admit during the interview, which aired after the 80th Annual Academy awards, that she is given an allowance after losing a credit card. And that even though she lives in a wing of the house she shares with her family in Los Angeles, she doesn't have a key for her own separate entrance.

Miley said: "My mother locked the entrance. The other day we were coming in and she had locked it and I was like: 'Please unlock it'.

"But she said no because I was going in and out too much and was getting the carpet dirty.

"She locks the door and that's that. I don't even know where the key is.

"I had this credit card type thing and I lost it so now I guess I am paying for it because I am with my mum all the time

"But it's OK as we're always together and I don't really get to go out and do the shopping thing that much without my parents anyway, so it's alright.

"I don't usually rebel."

By Nicola Pittam, Feb 25 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy