Miley Cyrus Out: 'Hannah Montana' Almost Had Different Lead Star, Casting Director Reveals
Miley Cyrus was not the only actress who was considered for the Hannah Montana role.
Fans of the hit "Hannah Montana" series were shocked after a TikTok video claimed that Belinda, a Spanish-Mexican singer who was featured in "Cheetah Girls 2," was considered for the Disney Channel series role.
In response to this, "Hannah Montana" casting director Lisa London clarified that Belinda was never in the top 3 - but there were indeed other actresses considered for the role.
"I wanted to let everybody know that Belinda - who's lovely, by the way - was never in the top three for the role of Hannah. These are the final three actresses that auditioned at the network test out of over 1,200 girls," she said.
The two other actresses who could have played the character instead of the "Wrecking Ball" singer include Taylor Momsen and Daniella Monet.
@lisalondoncasting @fernandacortesx love your videos and wanted to share some insight on the casting of Hannah Montana #hannahmontana #belinda #disney #mileycyrus #disneychannel #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Lisa London Casting
She added that Hannah Montana's character was initially named "Chloe" during the casting until Cyrus was tapped to play the role.
London's comment confirmed Momsen's revelation in a 2010 interview, saying that she felt upset after losing a Disney role.
"Honestly, if I'd have ended up as Hannah Montana, I don't know if the show would have gone as well. I probably would have told them all to go f-k themselves by the time I hit 11," she said.
Miley Cyrus No Longer Considered For "Hannah Montana" Prequel
Although Cyrus notably played the role, she was not considered to be part of "The Hannah Montana" prequel.
In 2020, Cyrus' father, Billy Ray Cyrus, claimed in his exclusive interview with Holywood Life that a prequel was in the works.
"They're talking about doing a prequel, which to me, I would do that in a heartbeat," the "Achy Breaky Heart" hitmaker said. "Because that means I get to get my mullet back."
But a source revealed to E! News that "Hannah Montana" would stay a thing of the past as there was no such "Hannah Montana" project that was currently in progress. The insider's statement wholly contradicted what he claimed.
Meanwhile, in similar news, Selena Gomez recently gave fans a tour of Hannah Montana house in her HBO Max cooking series, "Selena + Chef." The exterior of the home remains the same, but the interior has been seemingly updated to provide a more modern feeling this time.
