A new podcast episode focusing on Hannah Montana is bringing renewed attention to a long-discussed behind-the-scenes detail: Jason Earles, who played Hannah’s brother Jackson Stewart, was nearly 30 years old while portraying a teenager opposite a then-13-year-old Miley Cyrus.
Earles addressed the situation directly on the March 17 episode of the Best of Both Our Worlds podcast, titled “Disney, Do You Want To Know a Secret… About Jason?” During the episode, he revealed, “I lied to them and told them I was 18 years old,” explaining that the character he auditioned for was intended to be 16 years old.
He continued, “I was like, the character’s 16. Nobody’s going to buy it.”
The actor said the truth didn’t fully come out until well into production. “It wasn’t until halfway through the first season… about episode like eight or so,” he said, recalling when the network realized his real age. By that point, the show had already been established.
Earles shared that executive producer Steven Peterman told him, “Thank you so much for lying to us because we would have gotten nervous… and we would have recast you.”
Earles also described how his age became a running joke behind the scenes. He recalled a network executive approaching him and saying, “Hey, so you’re 28,” before asking if there were “any more secrets” they should know. He confirmed he was married at the time as well.
Elsewhere in the episode, Earles reflected on how the show evolved creatively, noting that early versions of his character were significantly different. He said his role was initially built around a puppet concept, which he called “stupid,” before a last-minute shift changed the direction.
“Three days before we shot the pilot, they completely rewrote all of my stuff,” he said.
