Before she became a Grammy winner, Miley Cyrus got her start on Hannah Montana. The hit Disney series, which ran for four seasons from 2006 to 2011, launched her career, making her an instant global sensation. But she almost didn’t get the part. In fact, the role was initially offered to another Disney Channel star.
Cyrus, now iconic as Hannah Montana, looks back on the show in the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, which premiered on Disney+ and Hulu on March 24.
In the hour-long special, it’s revealed that the 33-year-old actor and singer was seen as a “risk” by producers when she went into the lengthy ordeal of auditioning for the show that made her famous.
Why Was Miley Cyrus Initially Rejected for Hannah Montana?
Hailing from Tennessee, Miley Cyrus first auditioned for Hannah Montana at 11 years old, initially trying out for the role of best friend Lilly Truscott (eventually played by Emily Osment). Cyrus was then encouraged to audition for the lead role of Chloe Stewart/Hannah Montana, but was rejected because she was deemed too young.
Deciding to go in another direction, Disney offered the lead role to Aly Michalka, who starred in Phil of the Future and is three years older than Cyrus. “[They] were like, ‘This pilot has come in and we think that you’re really perfect for it,’” Michalka recalled on the Call Her Daddy podcast in January 2025.
After reading the script, however, Michalka, who is in a band with her sister AJ, decided it would be “really confusing being Hannah and being the character also playing Hannah,” while also being Aly in Aly & AJ.
What Made Cyrus Finally Land Hannah Montana?
Nearly a year after being rejected, Cyrus was invited to Los Angeles in late 2005 to try out for the part once again. This time, she came prepared, wearing a blue and white T-shirt that read “I Should Have My Own TV Show.” It was enough to convince producers, and the 12-year-old finally landed the starring role of Chloe, later renamed Miley.
According to former Disney executive Gary Marsh, the decision was apparently not an easy one. “We were down to the last two girls, and you were this 12-year-old pistol, raw and real, and fresh out of Tennessee,” Marsh said to Cyrus in the anniversary special. “It was not a landslide.”
Marsh ultimately chose her for her potential and talent as a singer. “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.’”
How Did Billy Ray Cyrus End Up As Miley’s TV Dad?
After securing the role, Miley pitched the idea of her real-life father, Billy Ray Cyrus, playing her TV dad. In a March interview with Variety, however, she revealed that Billy Ray, now 64, almost gave the part away by being “too nice.”
Though the audition was largely a formality, the country singer and actor was caught encouraging other actors waiting to try out for the same role.
In the end, however, he was a shoo-in. “It was so obvious, after all the other dads, that you can’t fake the kind of connection that we have,” Miley said. “The inside jokes, the nicknames, the handshakes, singing the songs together. It was a TKO[total knockout].”
How to Watch the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special
Hosted by podcaster Alex Cooper, the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
