Additional Coverage:
- Former Disney Channel star says he lied about his age to get job opposite Miley Cyrus (the-independent.com)
Former Disney Channel Star Spills the Beans: Age-Defying Audition for ‘Hannah Montana’ Role
In a surprising revelation, actor Jason Earles, known for his role as Jackson Stewart, Miley Cyrus’s older brother on the hit Disney Channel show Hannah Montana, has confessed to a decade-long secret: he lied about his age to secure the part.
The admission came during the inaugural episode of the Best of Both Worlds podcast, where Earles joined sitcom director Shannon Flynn and writer-producer Douglas Danger Lieblein. “I was desperately afraid that I was going to be fired and recast because I had a big secret,” Earles recounted. “When I auditioned for the show, I lied to them and told them I was 18 years old.”
At the time of his audition, Earles was 28, a full twelve years older than the 16-year-old character he was slated to play. The actor explained that casting director Lisa London, aware of a previous age fabrication, even encouraged him to stick with the younger age.
“She was like, ‘Hey, I know you’re 19,’ because I had lied to her in a different audition. And she was like, ‘Would you be okay, when you go in there, would you lie and tell them that you’re 18?’
I was like, ‘I think I can do that.'”
The truth about Earles’s actual age didn’t surface until “halfway through the first season,” with Lieblein recalling, “I didn’t find out until episode eight, and I think the network found out later than I did.”
The confession reportedly led to a direct confrontation from a network executive. Earles recalled the executive’s surprised reaction: “‘Hey, you’re, uh, 28?
And you’re married?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that girl I keep making out with…that’s my wife.'”
The executive then pressed, “Any more secrets? Anything else we should know?
Do you have any kids?” to which Earles replied no, prompting the executive to jokingly advise, “Let’s go ahead and keep it that way for a few years.”
This candid revelation comes just days before the highly anticipated Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, scheduled to air on March 24th on Disney+. The special will feature an exclusive interview with Miley Cyrus, hosted by Alex Cooper of the Call Her Daddy podcast, along with never-before-seen footage from the beloved series.
Read More About This Story:
- Former Disney Channel star says he lied about his age to get job opposite Miley Cyrus (the-independent.com)