When Jason Earles was first introduced as Jackson Stewart on ‘Hannah Montana‘, viewers accepted him as a teenage character without question, never realizing there was more to his casting story than what appeared on screen.
Yeah, that version of the story wasn’t entirely real. Earles has now come clean, revealing that he lied about his age during the audition process.
How Jason Earles Landed Jackson’s Role On ‘Hannah Montana’
Jason Earles opened up about this long-held secret during ‘Best of Both Our Worlds: The Official, Unofficial Hannah Montana‘ Podcast. He admitted that fear drove his decision right from the beginning.
“I was desperately afraid that I was going to be fired and recast because I had a big secret. So, when I auditioned for the show, I lied to them and told them I was 18 years old,” Earles said.
He explained that his actual age made him hesitant to even try out for the role. The character of Jackson Stewart was supposed to be much younger, and being in his late 20s at the time, the actor believed casting directors wouldn’t take him seriously if they knew the truth.
“It was another reason why I didn’t almost audition for the show because I was like ‘I’m too old.’ The character’s 16. Nobody’s going to buy it,” Earles added.
Despite those concerns, he went through multiple auditions and eventually secured the role. At that point, the lie stayed hidden, and production moved forward without anyone questioning it, at least in the early stages.
When Did The Network Find Out the Truth?
Of course, this secret was not going to last forever. According to Earles, the truth didn’t come out immediately. It was released in the middle of the first season when “one of the higher-up network executives showed up… and was like, ‘Hey, you’re 28? And you’re married?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I am.’ And I made this big joke out of it because I was having romantic scenes with my real-life wife.“
In case you missed it: ‘Hannah Montana’ Star Finally Admits “Jake Did Miley Dirty” And Fans Always Knew It
That moment could’ve gone very wrong, but the executive only asked, “Any more secrets? Anything we should know?’” He didn’t want anything else that could complicate Earles’ image on a teen-focused show.
How The Team Made It Work With Earles
Behind the scenes, the producers were glad it all worked out the way it did. Steven Peterman, the showrunner, told Earles, “Thank you so much for lying to us because we would have gotten nervous… and we would have cast you over again.”
Once everything was out internally, Earles had to maintain a carefully controlled public image. The executive told him, “Let’s go ahead and keep it that way for a few years.”
From that point on, he said he was forced to keep his “entire life” secret from the world for the next six years. That included hiding details about his marriage and not correcting public assumptions about his personal life.
This led to awkward real-life moments, especially when he was out with his then-wife, Jennifer Earles. Because fans believed he was much younger, they often mistook her for 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,'” Earles said. “And I was like, ‘Well, all right. Sex is off the table tonight. Thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah. Yeah.‘”
Now, with the Hannah Montana anniversary approaching, the 48-year-old actor is finally sharing the truth about what he kept hidden during his ‘Hannah Montana‘ years.
You might also like to read: Miley Cyrus Beat These 2 Actresses To Become Hannah Montana. What Do Fans Think?
