Once an actor becomes associated with a memorable television role, it can be very hard to imagine anyone else playing that character. However, it should go without saying that a lot of the time there have been other actors who came close to landing the roles that made other stars famous. For example, many of the main characters from Friends could have been played by other actors.
For fans of the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana, it is likely to be pretty shocking that at one point Miley Cyrus wasn’t in the running to play the show’s main character. Instead, Cyrus initially auditioned to play a completely different Hannah Montana character.
Original Plans
From 2006 until 2011, Lilly Truscott was portrayed by Emily Osment. Even though there is no doubt that Miley Cyrus was Hannah Montana’s main star, it also is clear that Osment played a key role in the show’s success as well. After all, Hannah Montana never could have become so popular if it wasn’t for the fact that there were several characters that fans of the series cared about.
Unfortunately, it is no secret that Miley Cyrus and Emily Osment didn’t get along behind-the-scenes a lot of the time. Amazingly enough, if things worked out the way they were originally meant to, the two performers likely never would have shared the screen. After all, Cyrus has revealed that when she originally auditioned for Hannah Montana, she was in the running to play Lilly Truscott. If Cyrus wound up playing Truscott, it seems likely that Osment wouldn’t have starred in Hannah Montana since it is hard to imagine her in the main role.
The Process
Ten years after the first episode of Hannah Montana originally aired, Miley Cyrus took to Instagram to reminisce about the show. In her post, Cyrus shared a video of her original audition and wrote about the process that resulted in her portraying Hannah Montana’s main character.
“There was a very long auditioning process, and many chemistry reads which really is what sold the show to the producers and channel because no matter what went on over the years (which none of you have any clue about but it was like The Real World but [with] more hormonal teenagers), our love for each other was unquestionable. Even though I feel disconnected to who I was at that time I will always feel eternally grateful for the opportunity and platform I was given…”
According to reports, Miley Cyrus was so remarkable during her original audition that producers immediately thought she was better suited to playing Hannah Montana’s lead role. Amazingly enough, however, they originally decided that Cyrus was too young at that time. Of course, cooler heads ultimately prevailed and Cyrus was cast in the role that made her a star.
Timely Exit
In the years since Miley Cyrus left Hannah Montana behind, her image has changed dramatically. In fact, given the fact that Cyrus is such a free spirit these days, it almost seems hard to believe that she once starred in a family-friendly Disney Channel show. Despite that, Cyrus still has a lot of good things to say about Hannah Montana which makes sense since she owes a great deal of success to that series.
Of course, all good things come to an end. For most shows, it is the networks who decide to put an end to the series. In the case of Hannah Montana, however, Miley Cyrus’ desire to leave the show behind is the main reason why the series came to an end.
Given the fact that Hannah Montana remained popular to the very end, it may seem shocking to a lot of people that Miley Cyrus was over it. After all, most television actors are overjoyed to star in a show as long as they can. During a 2019 Elle interview, Cyrus revealed when she knew that she couldn’t star in Hannah Montana anymore.
After she was asked when she wanted to break out of the Hannah Montana mold, Miley Cyrus was as forthright as ever about that moment in her life. “I did once I was 18 because it felt ridiculous. The minute I had s*x, I was kind of like, I can’t put the f***ing wig on again. It got weird. It just felt like...” From there, Cyrus went on to talk about feeling like a grown-up at that moment and how that changed her feelings about her Hannah Montana role. “One time I went backstage at Disneyland, and Peter Pan was smoking a cigarette. And I was like, “That’s me. That’s the kind of dreams I’m crushing.” That’s how everyone felt with the bong video, but I’m not a Disney mascot. I’m a person.”