The plot of Hannah Montana revolved around a secret, and it turns out that one of the actors was also keeping a secret.
The producers wanted to cast people as close to the age of the characters as possible. As we know, Miley’s brother, Jackson, was supposed to be 18. Therefore, they wanted someone around that age.
Jason Earles was 28 when he auditioned, so he said that he was a decade younger to land the role. And he was not the only one who was part of the lie. The casting agent told him to tell them that he was 18. She thought he was 19 because he lied to her on a previous audition.
Earles admitted this on his new podcast, Best of Both of Our Worlds, with two of the sitcom’s writers, Douglas Danger Lieblein and Shannon Flynn, where they will be telling stories about the episodes.
He also revealed what happened when the Big Whigs found out he lied about his age about halfway through the first season. He said an executive came up to him and asked if he was 28. So he confirmed that he was. Then he wanted to know if he was also married. And he confirmed that also.
It is a good thing they didn’t find out until then. Because the actor shared what executive producer Steven Peterman said when he discovered the truth, the showrunner told him that if they had found out during the pilot, they would have recast him. But it was too late because the audience got to know him.
Could you imagine the show with someone else in the role?
