Hannah Montana Turns 20: 7 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About How The Show Was Made

Miley Cyrus is celebrating 20 years since she first transformed into fictional popstar Hannah Montana for the beloved Disney Channel series that became appointment viewing for tweens everywhere in the mid-2000s.

To mark the occasion, Miley put together a suitably epic anniversary special for Disney+, featuring Miley’s own recollections from her time as Hannah, as well as appearances from stars like Selena Gomez and Chappell Roan, who opened up about what the show meant to them.

After launching in 2006, Hannah Montana quickly became one of Disney’s most successful shows, drawing in global audiences in the hundreds of millions and launching Miley’s career as a star in her own right.

Young viewers across the world became enchanted by the blonde-wig-donning teen with a secret life as a global pop star, as the lines between Hannah and Miley became increasingly blurry. 

With Hannah Montana now back in the spotlight thanks to the anniversary special, we’ve gathered some little-known facts about how the whole thing came together that even the most devoted Smilers might not have known…

Miley Cyrus was originally ruled out of playing Hannah Montana for one crucial reason

When Disney first envisioned Hannah Montana, they were on the look-out for a rising teen actor to play the lead character.

This didn’t deter Miley Cyrus, just 11 at that time, who decided to try out anyway, even though she was too young for the part (she’d previously gone for the role of Lilly, which eventually went to Emily Osment).

Indeed, while they were impressed with her audition, the Hannah Montana team initially turned Miley down due to her age, but a year later, still struggling to find a young star who impressed them as much as her, invited her back to try out again.

Famously, Miley spotted a t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “I should have my own TV show” to wear for her audition while mall shopping with her mum – and the rest is history.

But even after convincing the higher-ups at Disney she was mature enough for the part, a young Miley Cyrus still almost missed out on the role of Hannah Montana entirely 

These days, it’s impossible to imagine anyone but Miley as Hannah, but during the anniversary show, former Disney executive Gary Marsh shared some fascinating lore about how the title character was nearly played by an entirely different actor.

“We were down to the last two girls, and you were this 12-year-old pistol, raw and real, and fresh out of Tennessee,” he told Miley. “And you both left… there [were] 10 people in the room, and we took a vote. It was not a landslide.

“People put forth their real opinion, and I had made a decision, and I wrote an email to the team. It said, ’we pride ourselves not just on creating great television, but on creating stars. I’m ready to pull the trigger on Miley. Is she a risk? Unquestionably true. Is she a potential star? Absolutely.

“’And whatever comes of this decision, I’m thrilled that all of us will be able to sit down over a drink in a few years and remember this moment when we decided to forsake the safe route for the riskier one and the greater reward’.”

This, combined with the fact Miley was originally considered too young to play Hannah makes it even more miraculous that the stars aligned.

There were some interesting young actors in the mix to play Hannah Montana before Miley Cyrus was officially cast

Speaking of which, before Miley was cast as Hannah there were several other stars in consideration for that infamous blonde wig . 

One of them was Taylor Momsen, who was only seven when she appeared in How The Grinch Stole Christmas opposite Jim Carrey in 2000 (six years before Hannah Montana launched). 

Taylor apparently got down to the final two, but doesn’t sound too cut up about not getting the role, going on to star in Gossip Girl and form her band The Pretty Reckless.

She previously admitted: “Honestly, if I’d ended up as Hannah Montana, I don’t know if the show would have gone as well. I probably would have told them all to go fuck themselves by the time I hit 11.”

Touché.

Nickelodeon and Victorious star Daniella Monet also made it down to the final few, as well as Mexican singer and actor Belinda, as did teen singer JoJo, now best known for her hits Too Little Too late and Leave (Get Out).

Miley Cyrus’ mum Tish helped refine Hannah Montana’s eye-catching look

Hannah’s bedazzled popstar wardrobe was one of the key reasons tweens loved tuning in to see her in action, and Miley explained that her mum Tish played a big part in shaping her on-screen persona’s style. 

Tish was a key voice in whether something was “very Hannah” or “very Miley” with Miley often going with her mum’s suggestions over Disney’s.

Miley’s dad – and co-star – Billy Ray Cyrus didn’t exactly have his heart set on his role in Hannah Montana

Miley’s real dad Billy Ray Cyrus famously played her character’s on-screen father in Hannah Montana.

However, in the newly-released 20th anniversary show, it emerged that he was practically giving the part away before officially signing up.

She recalled: “He goes out into the parking lot, grabs other dads, brings them into Disney and is like, ‘You should hire this guy! He’s a great actor!’.”

The Grammy winner added: “Me and mom were both like, ‘Shut up!’. You were always the guy trying to give the other guy the job.”

Filming Hannah Montana was a pretty grueling experience at times

In a 2015 interview with Marie Claire, Miley opened up about the intense schedule when working on Hannah Montana.

She claimed that she and her co-stars often worked 12-hour days, and that her mum Tish suggested bringing in certain lights to deter seasonal affective disorder.

“Every morning, I was getting coffee jammed down my throat to wake me up,” Miley said. “I just had to keep going, be tough, be strong. Everything happened to me on that set.”

Surprisingly, Taylor Swift was cast in the Hannah Montana movie because she wasn’t a huge star at that time

It’s hard to remember a time when Taylor Swift wasn’t one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, but when she appeared in the Hannah Montana movie in 2009, it was for very different reasons.

Taylor cameos in the movie, performing her song Crazier, while also contributing You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home to the soundtrack. 

“The way that Taylor Swift ended up in the Hannah Montana movie was because this was kind of the beginning of her career, and they were looking for someone that would authentically – no shade, I guess – be performing in a barn,” Miley explained.

“Credit where credit’s due. Banger,” she added of Taylor’s contribution to the movie.

Hannah Montana: 20th Anniversary Special is now streaming on Disney+.