Jason Earles Admits Lying About Age for Hannah Montana Role

Jason Earles, the actor best known for portraying Miley Cyrus's older brother on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana, has revealed that he lied about his age during auditions to secure the role of teenager Jackson Stewart. At 28 years old in 2005, Earles claimed to be 18 to play the 16-year-old character, a deception he maintained for months before it came to light midway through the show's first season.

The admission came during the March 17 premiere of Earles's new podcast, Best of Both Worlds, where he spoke with the sitcom's director Shannon Flynn and writer-producer Douglas Lieblein. Earles described his initial hesitation, noting that the casting call sought actors closer to the character's high school age. "I was desperately afraid that I was going to be fired and recast because I had a big secret," he said. "When I auditioned for the show, I lied to them and told them I was 18 years old."

Casting director Lisa London played a key role in the ruse. She had previously heard Earles claim to be 19 during another audition and encouraged him to adjust it further for Hannah Montana. "She was like, 'Hey, I know you're 19... Would you be okay, when you go in there, would you...