Hannah Montana was a show which reflected the Superman trope of living a double life, but, instead of Clark Kent from Krypton, it’s a simple girl named Miley from a small town who transforms into her secret pop princess persona of Hannah Montana with the simple expedient of putting on a blonde wig.
The show was massively popular and catapulted the lead actor Miley Cyrus into superstardom. Miley was surrounded by a supporting cast of warm and zany characters who helped keep the simple girl from Tennesse grounded while she dealt with the other globe-trotting, award-winning aspect of her pop star life. Here are 10 details about the characters you might have missed.
Real Life Nickname
The fact that Miley Cyrus plays Miley Stewart on the show is no coincidence. In the beginning, the main character of the show was named Chloe Stewart. When Cyrus read for the show, she was originally auditioning to play Chloe’s best friend Lily, a part that eventually went to Emily Osment.
The makers were so charmed by Cyrus that they decided to cast her as the series lead and even changed the name of the character to Cyrus’s real-life name, which is short for Smiley, a nickname Cyrus got in her infancy because of her sunny smile.
A Reflection Of Reality
In the fourth season of the show, a lot of the storylines on the show were about fans and critics tearing into Hannah Montana for the way she dressed and behaved in public, and Miley having to deal with all the scrutiny.
This was a reflection of what was going on in Miley Cyrus’s actual life. She had been making a conscious attempt to move away from her teen idol image to more mature roles and music and received a lot of backlash from fans and media for her efforts.
Oliver’s Hair Problems
Oliver may be Miley and Lily’s best friend, but he could never be accused of being cool in an edgy or daring fashion. Even his hairstyle seemed to reflect his dorky personality. But the actor who played him, Mitchel Musso, was a different person and had in fact gotten his ears pierced before filming began.
Since a pierced ear was considered too cool an accessory for Oliver, the show makers decided to give him a hairstyle that would disguise the side of his face featuring the pierced ear.
Mamaw Is From Mama’s Family
Vicki Lawrence played Miley’s grandmother on the show, and everyone affectionately called her ‘Mamaw.’ The use of this particular nickname was no coincidence; Lawrence had previously starred in the hit show Mama’s Family where she played a quick-tempered widow who helped solve her family’s problems. Since she had a similar function during her appearances on Hannah Montana, the makers decided to use the nickname to honor her past work.
From Sixteen Candles
Jake Ryan was the dreamboat actor/student at Miley’s school who pursued Miley and was a recurring character on all four seasons of the show. He and Miley were an item on-again and off-again.
The name Jake Ryan is taken from the character who featured in the classic teen movie Sixteen Candles, with the Jake in the movie also being a dreamy school athlete who also has a sensitive and caring side, that the female lead of the movie has a crush on.
Real Life Godmother
Dolly Parton made several guest appearances on the show as Miley’s godmother Aunt Dolly, who is the sister of Miley’s father and knew him since he was in diapers. In reality, Dolly Parton and Billy Ray Cyrus are not related, but have known each other since early on in their singing careers, and have been friends ever since.
Parton is Miley’s real-life godmother and has known her since her infancy. The two have often shown their love and support for each other while talking to the media long after the show ended.
Mr. Stewart’s Two Identities
One can imagine that the blonde, oversized wig would fool people into believing that Miley and Hannah are two different people. But Milly Ray Cyrus, Miley’s dad on the show, has also been established to be a former singer with a certain degree of fame and success. So, how come it never occurred to anyone that famous singer Billy Ray has a daughter who looks suspiciously similar to Hannah Montana, who is managed by Billy Ray?
In a few episodes, Billy Ray is shown to be wearing a wig and being referred to as ‘Bobby Ray.’ This implies that, like his daughter, Billy Ray was also making use of a false identity to hide the fact that his daughter is the most successful pop star on the planet.
Managing Her Impossible Schedule
Miley is supposed to be a straight-A student who also regularly takes part in various school activities in addition to having a healthy dating life, and then the whole globe-trotting best-selling album-recording pop star lifestyle. Clearly, there are not enough hours in the day to allow for such a jam-packed schedule.
We get hints throughout the show that Miley manages her time by only performing at concerts during the weekends and extended holidays. That leaves her with enough time to attend school during weekdays and have time to pursue a normal life.
Jackson’s Real Age
Jackson was an annoying, hyperactive—but still loving—older brother to Miley who was as much a thorn in her side as a caring sibling. But the actor who played Jackson, Jason Earles, was not actually a teenager when he played the part. Earles actual age at the time was twenty-nine years, meaning he was almost double Emily Osment’s age when he met her character Lily on the show for a date. Good thing Earles looks so young or that scene would have looked incredibly strange…
Miley Hated Hannah
Miley Cyrus will forever be known for Hannah Montana, but it is not a connection she has always savored. Cyrus has often complained that playing the teen idol at such a young age warped her views of what it meant to be pretty and girlie and always in the public eye. She had to weather endless criticism for the slightest misstep and was constantly overworked by the show’s crew.
During an SNL hosting gig, Cyrus joked that Hannah has been murdered. She has also actively worked to distance herself from Hannah’s clean-cut Disney-princess image in addition to sharing how miserable she was while filming the show. Lately, her attitude seems to have thawed out slightly, with Cyrus posting a few throwback photos from the show on her social media accounts and even sporting blonde hair styled in a similar fashion to her former onscreen persona.
