Q&A with Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth

It's finally here -- The Last Song hits the big screen today and the stars of the film, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, gave J-14 a sneak peak about the movie, taking on their characters, and what it was like working with one another.
Q: What is the movie about?
Miley Cyrus: It's about this girl, Ronnie Miller, whose parents have been separated and she's started going down the wrong path, hanging out with the wrong friends, and probably not making the best choices. Basically it's the story of how she finds her way to being happier and a better person through faith, love and friendship. And it's not just the love between her and her boyfriend, but it's also about her love for her dad, and reconnecting with her mom and brother. It shows that the important ingredients to happiness are the little things in life that most of us probably ignore.

Q: What are your character's like?
Miley: She's a little bit bitter about what her life has become. She just seems kind of uninterested. And like I think a lot of kids do, she starts doing the opposite of what her parents would want and starts being the person that her parents wouldn't want their daughter to be. She's trying to show them, "You disappointed me, so now I'm living my own life. You didn't care about me, so now I don't care about you."
Liam Hemsworth: He's a good guy, but he's still struggling with the death of his younger brother. His family isn't dealing with it very well, so he tries to escape - from the memory, from his family, from anything that reminds him of his brother. Everyone thinks he's this charming, charismatic, happy person, but he's just hiding the pain. He keeps it all inside and hadn't spoken to anyone about what happened to his brother. Then he meets Ronnie.
Q: Liam, what's it like working with Miley?
Liam: Miley is great! We had a lot of fun, she's always bright and happy and it's a pleasure to work with her. We got along really well and became good friends during the shoot.
Q: Miley, what was it like working with Liam?
Miley: Liam is so much fun to work with! The crazy thing is he's such a huge star in Australia, and so to help introduce him to our side of world was really cool. I know how that feels because I travel all over the world on tour, and I'm more well known here than I am in some of the places I've visited. So I totally know where he's coming from. He's from Australia and I'm from the South, but this movie is something new for both of us. This is kind of his breakout moment in the States, and this is my breakout moment away from Hannah Montana.
Q: Did you contribute to the film musically?
Miley: "When I Look at You" was originally going to go on my next record, which I was working on while I was filming in Savannah. But when we realized it describes this entire movie, we had a composer come in and make a piano piece for me to be able to play. It's in the movie when Ronnie reveals to Will that she plays the piano. It was perfect for that scene because it is a love song, but it's also about God, about family, about love -- it's kind of what this movie is all about.
Q: Your character volunteers at an aquarium, Liam. Did you have to learn any special skills to pull that off?
Liam: I had to learn to scuba dive. We had three days to get certified, and we spent every day in a 20-foot tank in North Carolina, basically for the whole day. At the same time we'd have two or three hours in the classroom everyday to learn all the rules. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It sounds easy - you know, just put a mask on and you go under water. But there's a lot more to it than that. It's a good skill to have -- I heard you can actually get a job searching for shark teeth in the channels in South Carolina or patching up boats!
Q: You had to learn to play the piano for this role, Miley. Is that something you'll stick with?
Miley: I'm definitely going to stick with the piano! I picked it up really fast, which I guess is from being able to play the guitar and being so involved in music. I really enjoyed learning! Liam had to learn how to scuba dive for this movie. It's like learning piano -- so many people wish they could learn, but we get to do it as part of a job. We're lucky!
Q: Did all the kids on the set hang out after the cameras were turned off?
Liam: Yeah, absolutely. We'd all go out for dinner and hang out together. They're all great people and it's nice to get along with everyone and be able to be friends, because otherwise it would be pretty lonely on a set like this. And I think the chemistry shows in the movie.