‘Hannah Montana’ anniversary facts: 11 things we learned

Despite ultimately landing the role, Miley Cyrus wasn’t the unanimous choice. After an 11-month casting process narrowed it down to two finalists, executives were divided. Then-Disney Channel president Gary Marsh called and wrote in an email that he was “ready to pull the trigger on Miley,” admitting, “Is she a risk? Absolutely. Is she a potential star? Absolutely.” Cyrus, who had no prior acting experience, said it was authenticity, not sophistication, that ultimately set her apart.

Cyrus said she intentionally planted the idea for the anniversary special before it officially launched, and even mentioned it publicly to build momentum. She credits Dolly Parton for this strategy, recalling her advice to “promote something before it happens.” The moment also features a cameo from Variety’s Mark Malkin, who appears as part of an early preview for the project.

The now iconic Hannah Montana aesthetic needed a little tweaking. The pilot’s wig reflected her limited budget, Cyrus recalls, but once she put it on, everything clicked. “I became Hannah Montana right away.” As the show grew, so did its appeal, driven in part by her mother, Tish Cyrus, who helped define the character’s look. She distinguished between “That’s So Hannah” and “That’s So Miley.” If anything could be dazzling, it was reality, and if the wig could be made longer, it could be. Cyrus also admitted that she often rejected Disney’s wardrobe choices in favor of her mother’s.

Taylor Swift, then a rising star, was scouted “early in her career” to provide music for Hannah Montana: The Movie. According to Cyrus, the production company was looking for someone who could “act in a real barn with no shade,” and Swift fit the bill. Swift wrote the ending song for the movie “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home” and reportedly also wrote another song for the movie that never saw the light of day.

After Cyrus’ entire family moved from Tennessee to Los Angeles to begin filming, Cyrus never felt homesick, but she was nervous about stepping onto the set as a new actress. The first cast members she met were Emily Osment, who played Lily, and Mitchell Musso, who played Oliver. Unlike Cyrus, “they were experienced actors, so we were just thinking about how they would fit into a cast that knew exactly what they were doing,” she said. Apparently, it worked. Cyrus has stated that Osment felt like her “teammate” during the process and knew they would “support each other.” Cyrus, on the other hand, had a crush on Musso, she admitted with a laugh. “I thought Mitchell Musso was really cute.” The young stars eventually bonded by going to Panda Express together.

Just as “Hannah Montana” was dominating TV screens around the world, a number of other Disney projects were also airing, including “That’s So Raven,” “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” and “High School Musical.” Cyrus became especially close with the latter’s leads, Zac Efron (Troy Bolton) and Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella Montez), during a promotional trip to New York. At the time, she explains, Efron and Hudgens were “the coolest people ever.” “And they loved me because I was mature for my age.” So after the trip, Cyrus ended up pulling up to Disney with the couple in a black car. Although she didn’t like Efron at the time (“Zack from High School Musical is not the person I want,” she said), her feelings grew over time. “I prefer the slightly older, rip-offs,” she laughs.

Selena Gomez made a special appearance to catch up with Cyrus, reminiscing about her time playing Hannah’s nemesis and rival pop star Mikayla Skeech. Gomez specifically recalled an episode in which she had to wear a blue alien suit, saying, “I remember feeling ugly in that suit.” Since the duo were archenemies, they also discussed all the “vicious” lines they had to say to each other. “That’s pretty mean,” Gomez agreed. “I don’t think they’ll get away with telling half of what’s going on (now).”

Hannah Montana may have been embroiled in a love triangle between Jake Ryan and Jesse on screen (Cyrus said she would choose Jake today), but off screen it was fellow Disney kid and “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” star Dylan Sprouse who stole Cyrus’ heart. Cyrus confirmed that the rumors were true and that the two dated when they were teenagers. “Dylan was my idol. Their dad used to take us out for sushi,” Silas said. “And it was 2-1,” she joked. “Bring your brother!”

She says the fact that the Jonas Brothers opened for Cyrus during her “Best of Both Worlds” tour was due to Cyrus’ own (positive) planning. “For me, it was always really fun,” Cyrus says of “Hannah Montana” stardom. Part of that was because her mother, Tish, “always pushed me to be with other kids.” So when Cyrus said she would go on tour if her then-boyfriend Nick Jonas would come, it was a done deal. “I didn’t want to break up with my boyfriend, so I was like, ‘Okay, if my boyfriend can come, I’ll go on tour,'” Cyrus recalls. It worked out perfectly because he was also a budding pop star. “I always thought, ‘It would be more fun if Nick was there.'”

Over the course of two decades, Cyrus’ relationship with the character that made her a generation-defining star has understandably evolved. For the singer, this special is a moment to bring back Hannah, and then Miley. “What I like about it is that I was thinking of Hannah as something separate from myself. I was thinking of her as a character,” Cyrus said after performing “The Climb.” “Even if it was me, I always thought of what was best for Hannah. And I didn’t always think of it as if we were going to be merged. And what I love about this special is that it’s my amalgamation of Hannah and Miley.”

It’s hard to imagine Hannah Montana without Robbie Ray Stewart, who plays Cyrus’ biological father Billy Ray. But if he had had his way, he wouldn’t have become the on-screen father. At the time of the audition, Billy Ray was confident that the person before him would get the role, so he told the staff to hire him. “The guy who had auditioned for the father before me was doing his thing, and I sat there and said, ‘He’s great…this is the father!'” So when he left the room, I walked in the room and said, ‘Guys, this is the father who just came out.'” “My mom and I were like, ‘Shut up,'” Cyrus said. “You were always the one trying to give work to others.”