Miley Cyrus Is Still A 'Great Role Model,' Onetime Co-Star Says
Miley Cyrus may have courted some controversy earlier this month when a photo leaked of the Disney star making a gesture that appeared to mock Asians. But "Mad Men" star Alison Brie, who's been a guest star on "Hannah Montana," thinks that just because Miley may have appeared to lack proper judgment on occasion, doesn't mean she can no longer be considered a role model for her young fans."In general, she does great at being a great role model for kids. Everybody makes mistakes," Brie told UsMagazine.com, adding that she thinks Cyrus "knows when she's messed up. We'll give her the benefit of the doubt."On Monday, one blog seemed to identify the "lone Asian kid" in the photo with Cyrus and others as model/actor/photographer Chuck Willis. When contacted by MTV News, Willis would neither confirm nor deny that it's him in the picture, saying that, due to the number of calls he's been receiving from media outlets, he's "not going to talk about it."Brie said she thinks the 16-year-old was scrutinized for the photo because she gained fame at such a young age and is now paying the price. "I think people are too hard on kids in the entertainment industry," she told UsMagazine.com. "It's a really tough industry to be in. If your average Joe was put under a microscope and scrutinized the way Miley Cyrus is, they'd be doing a lot worse."For her part, Cyrus issued a public apology for the photo on her fan site last week. "I really wanted to stress how sorry I am if the photo of me with my friends offended anyone," she wrote. "I have learned a valuable lesson from this and know that sometimes my actions can be unintentionally hurtful." Brie isn't the first "Hannah Montana" co-star to come to Cyrus' defense. Just days after the photos hit the Web, Melora Hardin told MTV News that if she had been as famous as Miley when she was a teen, she too would be making very public mistakes."When you're 15 and you're in the spotlight, who wouldn't court some controversy?" she said. "I would have, if I had been in the spotlight at 15. Weren't we all doing naughty things? I hope we were ... at least somewhat naughty, not too naughty. A little naughty is good!"