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As he and his castmates mark a milestone on “Hannah Montana,” actor Jason Earles opens up about his audition process for the Disney Channel series.
Appearing on “The Best of Both Worlds: The Official and Unofficial Hannah Montana Podcast” last week, Earles shared the “big secret” he had initially kept from Disney executives before landing the role of Jackson Stuart, the older brother of Miley Cyrus’ character Miley Stewart, in 2005.
“I was desperately afraid that they would fire me and rehire me… when I auditioned for the show, I lied to them and told them I was 18,” recalled the actor, who was actually 28 at the time of his audition. “It was another reason I almost didn’t audition for the show because I thought, ‘I’m too old. The character is 16, no one is going to believe this.'”
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Earles said his concerns were heightened by the fact that he had worked with the show’s casting director, Lisa London, on a previous project, when he presented himself as a 19-year-old.
While the actor managed to convince the “Hannah Montana” creative team that he was young enough for the role, his real age was eventually revealed midway through production on the show’s premiere season, which aired on the Disney Channel in 2006.
“I remember one of the network’s top executives showed up on the night of the show and said, ‘Hey, so you’re 28.’ And I said, ‘I am,’” Earles said.
He would later confirm to the executive that the “girl I keep making out with” was his wife at the time, Jennifer.
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“And he said, ‘Hey, are there any more secrets? Anything we should know? Do you have kids?'” the actor explained. “I was like, ‘No kids.’ He’s like, ‘Let’s go ahead and keep it that way for a few years.’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely, of course.’”
Elsewhere in the podcast chat, Earles said he decided to keep up the charade when he ran into “Hannah Montana” fans, even assuming Jennifer was his mother.
“I remember going to dinner with my wife at the time and people coming up and saying, ‘You must be so proud of your son,’” he joked. “And I said, ‘Well, okay. Sex is off the table tonight. Thank you. I appreciate that.'”
Earles, now 49, can be seen alongside Cyrus and other co-stars in the “Hannah Montana” 20th anniversary special, which hits Disney+ on Tuesday. He also remains on good terms with Disney, appearing as camp director Dewey Wood in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” in 2022 and 2023.