A red carpet revolt? Miley Cyrus takes a stand
LOS ANGELES — If a celebrity doesn’t walk a red carpet, are they still a celebrity?
In the next phase of her career, that’s the bold question Miley Cyrus will face after her unprecedented vow to “never do a red carpet again.”
With Hollywood’s awards season kicking off at Sunday’s Primetime Emmys, will other celebs sidestep the frenzy and follow Cyrus off the carpet? In show business, such a daring declaration could have implications beyond what’s beneath those designer heels.
In recent years, media shenanigans on red carpets have prompted push-back from such A-listers as Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.
Last awards season, they opted against sticking their well-manicured and bejeweled hands in front of E!’s “mani-cam,” while younger actresses like Jena Malone and Elizabeth Moss publicly mocked the paw parade.
“I couldn’t care less, to be honest,” said Emmys host Jimmy Kimmel after ceremoniously unrolling the red carpet Wednesday outside the Microsoft Theater. “I’ll be up in my dressing room staring at people on the red carpet while it’s happening.”
Cyrus’ last appearance on a red carpet was back in December at the premiere of the Netflix film “A Very Murray Christmas.” Cyrus ominously captioned an Instagram photo of herself posing on it: “(hashtag)mylastredcarpet4eva.” Apparently, she meant it.
“I had to do the premiere, and I will never do a red carpet again,” the singer-actress said in the October issue of Elle magazine. “Why, when people are starving, am I on a carpet that’s red? Because I’m ‘important’? Because I’m ‘famous’? That’s not how I roll. It’s like a skit — it’s like ‘Zoolander.’”
Stacy Jones, president of entertainment marketing agency Hollywood Branded, said stars who shun the red carpet lose fame and fortune. She expects Cyrus, who is appearing as a coach on the latest season of the NBC singing competition “The Voice” and starring in the upcoming Amazon series “Crisis in Six Scenes,” will likely miss out on future roles and deals because of her decision.
“It’s part of the job,” Jones said. “In today’s world, when you sign up to be a celebrity, you’re signing up to be in the limelight. You’re going to be in gossip columns and have paparazzi follow you. It’s damaging to your career and people you work with to say you won’t be part of the glitz and glamour that comes along with the job.”