Aly & AJ Say They Were Originally Offered These Lead Roles in ‘Hannah Montana’
Long before Miley Cyrus ever became a household name, it seems another Disney Channel star was first offered the titular role in Hannah Montana.
On Monday (Aug. 22), AJ Michalka of sister duo Aly & AJ revealed her sister, Aly, was initially offered the role of the teen-turned-pop star.
The revelation came when AJ shared a tweet linked to an Entertainment Weekly article regarding newly revealed casting information about the former hit Disney Channel series.
"I adore Lisa London but I have some tea beyond the tea to spill," she wrote, referring to the casting director who discovered Cyrus.
According to AJ, former Disney TV exec Gary Marsh initially offered the role of Hannah to her sister, Aly, while she herself was asked to play Lilly, Hannah's best friend.
"Gary Marsh originally offered the role of 'Hannah Montana' to Aly and I was offered the role of 'Lilly Truscott' (I know this so doesn’t matter but thought I’d chime in)," AJ continued in the tweet.
Lisa London, the casting director for Hanna Montana, recently put the rumor to rest that international pop star Belinda, who starred in The Cheetah Girls 2, was in the running to become the beloved character. It turns out Belinda was not in consideration. Instead, Taylor Momsen from Gossip Girl and Daniella Monet from Victorious auditioned for the role.
"I discovered Miley Cyrus," London recently claimed in a viral TikTok. "I wanted to let everyone know that Belinda, who is lovely by the way, was never in the top three for the role of Hannah."
London also shared a photo of a document from the time of casting on May 6, 2005, revealing Hannah Montana was originally going to be named "Chloe."
"These were the final three actresses that auditioned at the network test out of over 1,200 girls," London shared, showing Momsen, Monet and Cyrus' names.