Miley Cyrus has revealed that she was filming her Black Mirror when her house burned down.
Cyrus was shooting for the sci-fi series in South Africa as the Woolsey Fire ravaged California. The singer and her then-fiancé, Liam Hemsworth, were among many Malibu residents who lost their homes.
In a new video series promoting her single, Used to Be Young, she revealed that after learning about the 2018 blaze she got back to work the next day and filmed a music video On a Roll for the show, which she released after and it became a Billboard Chart hit.
“I was in South Africa, but it was taking place in Malibu, so it was just a real trip,” Cyrus said. “I found out that my house had burnt to the ground. The show must go on.”
Cyrus added that the incident gave her anxiety attacks “with a vision attached” of herself strapped to a bed for years after.
“Like probably two or three years later, after this happened, I didn’t understand, but I would have this anxiety attack with a vision attached—that I would be strapped down to a gurney,” she explained.
“So I would have these dreams any time I would go to perform. I thought that was just an anxious vision that made no sense, but actually, as my house was burning down, I was strapped to a gurney with my hands locked in handcuffs, strapped to a bed.”
Cyrus said she was “completely devastated”, but also was grateful that she was “one of the lucky ones” as Hemsworth managed to escape and rescue their pets.
At the time she took to social media and wrote: “My animals and LOVE OF MY LIFE made it out safely & that’s all that matters right now. My house no longer stands but the memories shared with family & friends stand strong. I am grateful for all I have left.”
Cyrus later said the loss of their home led them to tie the knot spontaneously one month later. They split after just seven months of marriage.
“In a way, it did what I couldn’t do for myself,” she said of the fire to Rolling Stone in 2020. “It removed me from what no longer was serving its purpose.
“And then as you drown, you reach for that lifesaver and you want to save yourself,” she continued. “I think that’s really what, ultimately, getting married was for me. One last attempt to save myself.”
