Hannah Montana star Jason Earles recalls a hilarious incident in which he went along with someone mistaking him for Jeremy Renner in Hawkeye. Earles is primarily known for playing Jackson Stewart in the Hannah Montana series as well as Hannah Montana: The Movie. Recently, he’s been working as an acting coach for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and will be guest starring in season 3 as a camp counselor.
Renner, on the other hand, is an actor known for his role as Clint Barton / Hawkeye in Hawkeye as well as several of the MCU movies. Hawkeye is a former special agent of SHIELD known for his master archery skills. In addition to appearing as Hawkeye, Renner is also a prolific actor whose credits include The Hurt Locker, The Town, and the Mission Impossible movies.
In a WIRED YouTube video promoting High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 3, Earles shares a funny story about getting mixed up with Renner by a young Hawkeye fan. He describes being in a toy store when a child recognized him, and Earles assumed it was for his work in Hannah Montana. However, Earles was caught by surprise when the child called him Hawkeye instead of Jackson. Hilariously, the child mixed him up with Renner. Not wanting to crush the young MCU fan, Earles went along with it and briefly pretended to be Renner. Check out Earles’ full story, below:
“Jeremy Renner, that one I get… I was at a Toys R Us, and a kid came up and was like, ‘Oh my god, are you…?’ I thought they were talking about Hannah Montana, and I was like ‘Yeah,’ and they’re like ‘Oh my God, Hawkeye, I loved you in…’ and he thought I was Jeremy Renner. I was like, ‘Thank you, it was such a fun movie to do…’ and I signed his… I wasn’t gonna ruin that kid’s experience with Jeremy Renner, so Jeremy, you’re welcome.”
As absurd as it may seem to mix up Earles and Renner, the two are actually not as different as one might expect. Many people probably think of Earles as a young teenager like his character in Hannah Montana, but he’s now 45 years old and he was in his late 20s while filming Hannah Montana. Renner is currently 51, so the two are actually only six years apart in age. And with the two’s remarkably similar facial structure and current haircuts, it’s not too surprising that someone mixed them up.
Apparently the kid at Toys R Us isn’t the only one who thinks Earles and Renner share a striking similarity; toward the end of the video, Earles reveals that many people have wondered “Is Jason Earles Hawkeye?” Given the newly established similarities between the two actors, perhaps they will one day be cast as relatives in a movie or TV show. The MCU could also play with the similar appearances of the two actors and cast Earles as another universe’s version of Hawkeye, leaning into the interactions Earles has experienced himself. Exploring the multiverse is a big part of the MCU’s current phase, and it could provide one way to bring Renner’s Hawkeye and the Hannah Montana star together for real.
