'Hannah Montana' actor weighs in on high stakes gamble for earning major role

Jason Earles has admitted he had to tell a lie in order to land the role in Hannah Montana.

Speaking on the Best of Both Our World podcast, he admitted to hiding his real age, which eventually earned him the gig in the popular Disney series.

“I was desperately afraid that I was going to be fired and recast because I had a big secret."

“When I auditioned for the show, I lied to them and told them I was 18 years old.”

He went on to share that ultimately his real age was discovered about “halfway through the first season", and he also had to admit that he was married to Jennifer Earles at the time.

He said, “I remember one of the higher-up network executives showed up on show night and he was like, ‘Hey, so you’re 28', and I was like, ‘I am.’

“I was like, ‘Yeah, that girl that I keep making out with? That’s my wife,'” he continued.

He noted that the executive's reaction was suprisingly pragmatic, though it came with a specific request.

“[The executive] was like, ‘Any more secrets? Anything we should know?’ I was like, ‘No.’ He’s like, ‘Do you have any kids?’ And I was like, ‘No kids.’ He’s like, ‘Let’s go ahead and keep it that way for a few years.’”