Hannah Montana casting director Lisa London reveals two other actresses who were among the top choices alongside Miley Cyrus for the lead role. The YA sitcom aired for four seasons on Disney Channel between 2006 and 2011, transforming into one of the House of Mouse’s most successful franchises. The show saw Cyrus tackle the lead role of Miley, who lives a double life as the titular pop singer while trying to keep her alter-ego a secret. Hannah Montana helped Cyrus launch her musical career, and she quickly became one of the most celebrated teen idols of her time.
Recently, a viral video has been circulating on TikTok which supposedly reveals some interesting details about the show’s early days. In the clip, TikToker Fernanda Cortes claims that Spanish-Mexican singer and Cheetah Girls 2 star Belinda was among the top three picks for the leading role in Hannah Montana. At that stage, the role of Miley was named Chloe.
However, now original Hannah Montana casting director London has debunked the viral clip. In her own TikTok, London explains that although Belinda auditioned for the role of Miley/Chloe, she was not among the frontrunners for the character. London adds that she really admires Belinda, but the top three candidates for the leading role in Hannah Montana were Cyrus, Daniella Monet, and Taylor Momsen. The casting director reveals that the contenders were shortlisted out of over 1200 girls, but ultimately Cyrus ended up getting the gig. Watch her TikTok video below.
While Monet and Momsen both lost the role of Hannah to Cyrus, they later went on to become popular teen stars in their own right. Two years after Momsen missed out on the role, she won fans over with her role as Jenny Humphrey, the younger sister of Penn Badgley’s Dan Humphrey on the original Gossip Girl series. Meanwhile, Monet received widespread acclaim for her performance in the Nickelodeon series Victorious, where she starred as Trina Vega. While both the stars impressed viewers and critics with their acts, they have lately distanced themselves from acting; Momsen is currently leading the rock band The Pretty Reckless, while Monet has briefly stepped away from Hollywood to focus on her family and children.
The new details from London makes one wonder how wildly different Hannah Montana could have been had Monet or Momsen landed the lead role instead of Cyrus. Both the actresses are talented performers. However, the way Cyrus brought Miley and her pop star alter-ego to life remains iconic, and the show would certainly not have felt the same without her. Part of why Cyrus was the perfect casting for Miley and Hannah is because she borrowed a lot from her personal life for her character, and that’s why her performance felt unmistakably real and highly compelling. In a way, it is a good thing neither Monet nor Momsen got the role, because otherwise, audiences probably would never have been able to witness their scene-stealing turns as Trina and Little J. As for Cyrus, London’s video proves that her role in Hannah Montana, which skyrocketed her to fame, was hard-earned, and she made a lasting impact not just on screen but also behind the camera.
