Hannah Montana star Mitchell Musso has revealed that he turned down Miley Cyrus’ offer to appear on her 20th anniversary special because it “wasn’t the right fit.”
The actor, who played Miley Stewart’s friend Oliver Oaken on the Disney Channel sitcom, gave his first podcast interview on “The Joe Vulpis Podcast” and expressed his disappointment with how the televised reunion event ended.
During the Disney+ special, Cyrus celebrated 20 years of Hannah Montana by sharing a sweet moment with her father and co-star Billy Ray Cyrus on a replica set and performing three songs as Hannah. Musso, who was absent from both the telecast and the premiere event with his girlfriend Emily Osment, said he wished the special had been a Hannah Montana reunion episode.
“Do the episode. Do the show. The set is still there,” Musso said, noting that the Stewart family living room and Miley’s bedroom sets used in the special have been rebuilt.
The actor, who left Hollywood 10 years ago, said, “The child inside me was looking forward to it, thinking, “I can’t wait to see you all on set again.” “And it didn’t work out that way.”
Asked if he had been offered a role in the anniversary special, Musso said, “Of course they asked me. But, like I said, it wasn’t presented correctly. … In my opinion, it’s too long to do it in a way that isn’t right.”
“They just changed their ways and that’s the way it is,” he added. “It wasn’t the right thing to do. And I was busy doing more important things. But if it had just been an episode or a movie, it would have been more important. Of course it would have been more important. I would have given up everything: eating, breathing, sleeping.” Musso said he could easily return to his Oliver form, but would need a wig to honor the character’s mop top.
The “Hannah Montana” anniversary special aired on Disney+ in March and reached 6.3 million views in its first three days of streaming. For Cyrus, it was about re-embracing the show and character that propelled her to superstardom. In addition to Billy Ray, special cameos included Selena Gomez, Chapel Lawn, and Cyrus’ mother Tish.
Several supporting actors from Hannah Montana were in attendance at the premiere event in Los Angeles, including Jason Earles (Jackson Stewart) and Moises Arias (Rico Swerve). Osment posted a video on Instagram celebrating the show’s anniversary and saying that he was unable to attend the reunion due to scheduling conflicts. Musso similarly posted about “Hannah vs. Versary” but did not mention why he was absent from the celebration.
