Menu

This Disney Star is the Reason ‘Hannah Montana’ Actually Happened; No, It’s Not Miley Cyrus

miley cyrus hannah montana hilary duff
Credit: Disney

The Disney Channel has been the foundation for many of our childhoods. It’s given us (and this writer might well date herself with this admission) shows like Lizzie McGuireThat’s So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Phil of the Future, and more that we grew up watching. However, of all of these shows, one truly stood out—Hannah MontanaHannah Montana aired on the Disney Channel from 2006 to 2011; it was created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll, and Barry O’Brien and stars current pop sensation Miley Cyrus as the lead character, Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana.

Hannah Montana_Disney

Hannah Montana opening credit still / Credit: Disney

Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana

While Hannah Montana was the role through which Miley Cyrus shot to fame, she had been an actor for years prior to that as well. As Hannah Montana, Miley portrayed a character who lived a double life as a normal teenage girl and a famous pop star. Cyrus landed the role of Hannah Montana when she was just 11 years old. She had initially auditioned for the role of Lilly Truscott, Miley Stewart’s best friend, but the show’s producers felt that she was better suited for the lead role of Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana. Cyrus’s role as Hannah Montana was a turning point in her career and opened up many opportunities for her in the entertainment industry.

However, a recent report indicates that we Hannah Montana fans have one other Disney star to thank for Miley Cyrus becoming the beloved pop star.

hannah montana then and miley cyrus now

Former Disney star Miley Cyrus played the beloved pop star on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana.

How Did Hilary Duff Come Into the Picture?

Hilary Duff is a star in her own right, whether from her Disney Channel days on Lizzie McGuire or now, with her more recent TV shows of How I Met Your FatherYounger, and more. And, per recent reports from The Things, Miley Cyrus was inspired to audition for the role of Hannah Montana due to Hilary Duff.

As the outlet shared,

As a young girl, Miley had gone to one of Hilary’s concerts, and it was going there that made her want to have a career in show business, with Hilary being one of many who Miley has been inspired by. She ended up going to LA to audition and got the role.

hilary-duff-lizzie-mcguire

Hilary Duff played Lizzie McGuire on the Disney Channel back in the early aughts.

Needless to say, we’re glad Hilary Duff did her (unintentional) part in bringing together not only her own Disney Channel shows and movies but even Miley Cyrus’s show as well!

About Priyanka Kumar

Priyanka is a writer, artist, avid reader, and travel enthusiast based in Chicago. In her free time, she is probably walking by the lake, catching up on the latest releases on TV, or spending inordinate amounts of time rewatching Moana, Encanto, and her Disney Channel life-long favorites Zack and Cody wreak havoc on the Tipton.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.