Who would have guessed that Billy Ray Cyrus’ daughter would become an international superstar?

Certainly not me. When little Miley Cyrus landed a brief role in Tim Burton’s 2003 fairy tale Big Fish, she still went by the name Destiny and seemed light-years away from the fame that would await her. Three years later she landed the starring role in the Disney Channel original series, Hannah Montana. In it, Miley played a girl who disguises herself as blonde songstress Hannah Montana for her world-famous concerts, while maintaining an ordinary school-going alter ego.

Miley became an overnight sensation. Using her infant nickname (short for “Smiley,” since she wouldn’t stop smiling), Miley recorded a soundtrack for the show that sold unbelievably well. Since then, she’s legally changed her name to “Miley Ray Cyrus” in recognition of her father.

Miley now performs concert musicals as both herself and Hannah Montana, and recently starred in a feature film adaptation. Though tickets sold out online almost immediately, patrons lined up at the theater on opening day to assure good seating.

So what’s the secret to Hannah Montana’s phenomenal success? Though Billy Ray is a has-been at best, he still maintained the connections necessary to represent his daughter and brand her as a role model for young girls. (Miley herself says she follows in the footsteps of Hilary Duff.) Though she is no more attractive and talented than thousands of young Hollywood wannabes, Miley was able to be in the right place at the right time. And sometimes, that’s all it takes.

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