Jason Earles Shares His Top 'Hannah Montana' BTS Memories

by Andrew FirrioloBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffI’m a pop-culture writer covering everything from TV and movies, to music, Broadway, books, and games.

My first thought when I saw Hannah Montana is turning 20 was: "Sweet niblets! I'm old!"

Disney Channel / Via Everett Collection

The second thought that popped into my head was, "I absolutely NEED to reach out to Jason Earles."

Jason did an incredible job portraying Jackson — he brought iconic comedic moments (cheese jerky, anyone?) and had a knack for getting into wacky situations, but always with a heart of gold. Jackson was a deeper character than just "the goofy brother," and the show truly would not have been the same without him.

In honor of 20 years of Hannah Montana and Jason's new podcast celebrating the series, we had a hilarious Zoom chat about Jackson's origins, favorite improvised moments, and his immediate bond with Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The original version of Jackson was written to carry around an orangutan hand puppet!

Disney Channel / Via Everett Collection

Jason: What really leaps out to me about my audition is that I didn't necessarily want to be there. The original Jackson had this orangutan hand puppet that he used, and I found the whole thing a bit embarrassing. But there was nothing else going on, so I went in not really caring if I got the part.

The people in the room were from Disney, and they knew me from Phil of the Future, which I had done a couple of episodes for. They set my mind at ease and said, "We think you're funny. Just relax, have a good time. We're super excited that you're here." So I was just really loosey-goosey and had a lot of fun with the audition. Before I even left that day, they asked if I would test for the network the very next week!

When I tested for the network, I was pretty sure I wasn't gonna get it. The other guy who was testing for Jackson had a full-on, super professional hand puppet that he brought in. For my puppet, I literally just took a gym sock, and I drew two eyes on it — that was the extent of it. But the audition was great, and literally a week later, they offered me the role. It was very, very quick.

While rehearsing for the pilot, Jackson's character was rewritten to be puppetless.

Jason Earles / Via Randy James Management

Jason: Jackson was way more introverted and socially awkward in the original version with the hand puppet. Around halfway through the rehearsals for the actual pilot, maybe three days out from shooting, we did one scene without the puppet. It was Miley, Billy Ray, and me at the kitchen table, and it was that dynamic that you saw between the family for the rest of the show. It worked so much better than the puppet stuff, and they rewrote it before we actually shot the pilot.

It still took me a little while to figure Jackson out — whether he was dumb or whether he was just motivated by simple things, like girls and making a little bit of money, but we just sort of settled on a nice, normal, obnoxious big brother.

Jason was in his late 20s when he started Hannah Montana.

Jason Earles / Via Randy James Management

Jason: They didn't know how old I was when I first got cast. I was in my late 20s when we did the pilot episode, and I just approached it that we're all on a level playing field. The kids have the same responsibilities I do. They still have to show up and be prepared, and they have the same responsibilities. Whether it was the kids on the show or Billy Ray, I was just one of the group.

It's an interesting situation, for sure. But the other thing to keep in mind is, I looked very young back then, and that's how the world treated me. Nobody was going to cast me in something that was age-appropriate.

(Laughs) I remember on my 25th birthday, I went out, and I tried to order a beer with my friends. They looked at my ID, and they were like, "I'm sure this is real, but we are not going to serve you. We're not going to risk our liquor license. So you pick any non alcoholic drink you want on us."

So since that's how the world interacted with me, I think there was a part of me that was maybe a little stunted as well, and sort of had a bit of Peter Pan syndrome. If the world doesn't want me to grow up, then I won't grow up. I'll just keep being goofy and silly, while still being oddly responsible in an adult way. Like, I pay my taxes, and I show up on time, you know?

"I was like Jason Ray Cyrus, from day one."

Disney Channel / Via Everett Collection

Jason: One of my favorite parts of the whole experience is the chemistry that you see on the show. It came from the chemistry we all had in real life. I thought from the very beginning that all the kids were incredibly funny, and their banter was very amusing.

I was initially worried that I wouldn't fit into the family because Miley and Billy Ray were really father and daughter, but they immediately just adopted me. I was like Jason Ray Cyrus, from day o