Cyruses makes sure family comes first

Being best friends forever with his daughter is not a problem for Billy Ray Cyrus.

But that's because the musician-actor makes certain it stays that way with his increasingly famous musician-actress daughter, Miley. While the two have become business partners in the franchise known as "Hannah Montana," Cyrus the father says he's learned to walk a tightrope that allows the two to "keep things real," as he likes to say. We checked in with Cyrus by phone, as he prepared for the release of "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

Question: How close to home is the father-daughter drama and real-life lessons we see on the screen?

Answer: The movie itself is as close to real life as it can be, while still keeping the comedy and the whole stuff that makes the "Hannah Montana" series work. Even down to the song I sing, "Back to Tennessee." That becomes the theme of the movie and the cornerstone of the film. The words and lyrics are about living there and knowing we both had to go home. My dad had this saying: "Always look toward the future, but most importantly, never forget where you came from and who you are." And that's what this movie and the song are about.

Question: Tennessee is very much a character in this film. Was that reason enough for you to want to do it?

Answer: The great state of Tennessee could possibly become one of the big winners from this film. It showcases the beauty of the state. On the business side, they showed the film community that they could compete with other states. When I read the script and it was all about Tennessee, but saw that it was going to be filmed somewhere else, my instinct said to hold on, we can make this work. So I flew home and took pictures of every scene that I saw for the film and it was within a 30-mile radius in Tennessee. I sent the pictures to the producers. Everybody played ball, and the character of the state really comes through.

Question: How did it influence the vibe for those working on the set?

Answer: Without sounding cliched, I think every one of them fell in love with Tennessee.

Question: You've got about 10 years of acting credits under your hat. Are you comfortable in your acting skin?

Answer: I have been acting so long that I really do feel like an actor. Doing the series "Doc" was like an acting apprenticeship. I found that I liked the less-is-more approach — in a Clint Eastwood kind of way. It's about finding a rhythm to the scene. Being a natural-born musician, the turning point was when I realized that acting was just like making music. My one common law is to keep it real — as a musician and as an actor.

Question: How did you get into acting?