Story highlights
Actress Vicki Lawrence weighs in on Miley Cyrus' twerking
Lawrence played Cyrus' grandmother on "Hannah Montana"
Lawrence spoke highly of her co-star but questions the VMA stunt
Miley Cyrus is hearing about her infamous twerking performance at the MTV Video Music Awards from her TV grandmother.
“I know what a lot of my generation is thinking: They’re appalled,” Vicki Lawrence tells CNN. Lawrence played Miley’s “Mamaw Ruthie” from 2006 to 2011 on the Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana.” Lawrence doesn’t admire the performance itself, but she admits it was a PR triumph.
“She pushed the envelope a little bit, but she’s what everybody is talking about in the news right now,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence began working on “Hannah Montana” back when Miley was barely a teenager. She says even then, she could tell Cyrus had star potential.
“She did have a lot of talent from the get-go, and (was) very precocious – very much more mature than her age, very much aware, body awareness and all that,” Lawrence said. “So I’m not sure that any of this really surprises me.”
If Miley had body awareness back then, the whole country is aware of it now. But whether the outrageous twerking episode was a good career move in the long run, Lawrence isn’t sure.
“(Miley) might be very smart. She might be really wrong.”