Jason Earles Reveals He Lied About His Age to Land Hannah Montana

Jason Earles has opened up about how he landed the role of Jackson Stewart on Hannah Montana by bending the truth about his age. The actor, who portrayed Miley Stewart’s older brother on the Disney Channel sitcom that began in 2006, was actually in his late twenties and married at the time. He says he kept up the ruse for several episodes before producers caught on.

During an appearance on the Best of Both Our Worlds podcast, Earles explained that he almost didn’t audition because he felt he was too old for a teenage character. Casting director Lisa London urged him to tweak his age for the screen test, which ultimately led to his confirmation for the part.

“When I auditioned for the show, I lied to them and told them I was 18 years old,” Earles recalled. The casting team initially searched for performers closer to the characters’ ages, and it wasn’t until roughly the eighth episode of the first season that the truth surfaced. Disney executives confronted him directly about his real age, to which he admitted that he was actually 28 and already married.

The revelation could have ended his run on the show, but it worked out for the best. Earles shared that showrunner Steve Peterman later told him that knowing his real age earlier might have led to his being recast. Peterman reportedly thanked Earles for being upfront, explaining that the network’s nerves could have otherwise forced a change.

At the time filming began, Earles was 28, and he was 29 when Hannah Montana premiered on March 24, 2006. He continued in the role through the show’s run until 2011, by which point he was in his mid-thirties. Earles also noted that his youthful looks helped him convincingly pass as a teenager, with both cast members and fans largely unaware of the age difference during the series’ first years.