LOL: Miley Cyrus Movie and Her Acting Career
The 2012 teen coming-of-age film LOL stars Miley Cyrus as Lola alongside Demi Moore as her mother, Anne.
Directed by Lisa Azuelos, the movie is a remake of a 2008 French film but struggled commercially due to a very limited theatrical release.
| Profession | Singer-songwriter, television and film actor |
| Age | 33 years old (as of 2026) |
| Role in LOL (2012) | Lola |
| LOL Worldwide Gross | $10.5 million |
| Role in So Undercover (2012) | Molly Morris |
| Role in Black Mirror (2019) | Ashley O |
The 2012 teen coming-of-age film LOL represents a distinct era in the acting career of the American singer, actress, and television personality. Directed by Lisa Azuelos, the movie is a direct remake of the 2008 French film LOL (Laughing Out Loud). In the LOL Miley Cyrus movie, she stars as Lola alongside Demi Moore, who plays her mother, Anne. Despite the recognizable cast, Lionsgate gave the film a very limited US release on May 4, 2012. It opened in only 105 theaters with virtually no promotion, resulting in a meager opening weekend gross of $46,500. Ultimately, the film grossed approximately $10.5 million worldwide, failing to recoup its estimated $11 million production budget.
This independent film struggle stood in stark contrast to her earlier massive Disney Channel success. When looking at the early divide between the character of Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus as a standalone film actor, her franchise work was highly lucrative. Hannah Montana: The Movie was released in theaters on April 10, 2009, and became a major commercial success. It grossed $169.2 million worldwide against a $30 million production budget. Transitioning away from this guaranteed audience into more mature, independent roles proved to be a challenging phase in the broader landscape of Miley Cyrus TV shows and movies.
Another attempt to establish her independent film career came with the 2012 action-comedy So Undercover. In the Miley Cyrus So Undercover project, she starred as Molly Morris, a street-smart private investigator who is hired by the FBI to infiltrate a college sorority. Much like LOL, this film faced significant commercial hurdles. It was a box office disappointment, grossing only $2.5 million worldwide against a production budget of $15 million. Consequently, it bypassed a wide theatrical run in the United States and was released direct-to-video on February 5, 2013.
Years after these independent film challenges, Cyrus found critical acclaim by returning to television. She portrayed the fictional pop star Ashley O in the Black Mirror Season 5 episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too," which was released on Netflix on June 5, 2019. This role allowed her to blend her skills as a singer and actor. As part of the episode, she performed the song "On a Roll." Released as a single on June 14, 2019, the track is a pop adaptation of the 1989 Nine Inch Nails song "Head Like a Hole." As of 2026, the 33-year-old continues to be recognized for this standout television performance, which successfully merged her musical and acting talents.