Palace Lee/PacificCoastNews.comAt one point in her life, Miley Cyrus dreamed of being a college co-ed. The former Disney Channel star tells the Oct. 8 issue of Rolling Stone that she considered pursuing another passion—photography—before deciding to revamp her music career.
"Once I ended [Hannah Montana], I thought I might go to NYU or something and study photography. Or to Savannah—they've got a really good school in Savannah," the 20-year-old explains. "I love photography. I have a Canon 5D. I want to co-direct something soon. When they're saying, 'Change this lens to this millimeter,' I want to know what they're talking about."
Miley says she was inspired by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who briefly attended New York University. "I'm never going to be able to go to school and have the normal life," she tells the mag. "I kind of like the way Mary-Kate and Ashley did it. They were bajillionaires from being these kid stars, and they decided that that wasn't the future that they wanted. So they did fashion, and they kind of blended in at NYU. I don't think people bug them. I think in New York, it's not cool to care."
The Olsen twins aren't the only people whom Miley admires. The "Wrecking Ball" singer also looks up to her godmother, country music legend Dolly Parton. "I watch people like Dolly. Dolly knows what she is. She's smart. She's not just a blonde with big titties—she is a genius under there. She literally came from nothing, and now you go anywhere in the world, and they know Dolly Parton," she tells Rolling Stone. "It's like, don't let people's judgment define who you are. Don't read the comments and get nervous. Know who you are."
In fact, Miley insists she never reads her own press—a lesson she learned from her parents, Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus. "My parents have never allowed tabloids in the house. When my mom used to have assistants or whatever and they would bring tabloids over, she would be like, "Can't work with us. I don't want my kids reading that.'"
According to Miley, it's "better" that her dad has no idea "what they're saying about me or our family" in the press. "It's good that he doesn't know how to Google and all that s--t. My dad barely knows how to use the computer. It literally takes him 45 minutes to send a tweet. He's like, ‘Can I do a picture on my BlackBerry? Is there an app for that?' I'm like, 'Dad, you don't have an iPhone. You don't even know what that means.'"