Hannah Montana's Casting Director Revealed This Victorious Star Was Almost Hannah
Plus, a Gossip Girl star also came close to beating out Miley.
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Miley Cyrus living the best of both worlds, but she almost got beaten out by two other buzzy actors for the role of Disney’s favorite pop star. Hannah Montana ran for 4 successful seasons on Disney Channel before Miley Cyrus was ready to spread her wings and fly. The show launched her into superstardom, but the star-making role almost went to someone else. Casting director Lisa London recently revealed on TikTok that Victorious star Daniella Monet and Gossip Girl breakout Taylor Momsen were incredibly close to being cast as Hannah Montana.
The revelation was spurred on by a since-deleted TikTok that alleged Latin star Belinda almost got the part of Hannah Montana. The claim caught the eye of Hannah Montana’s original casting director, Lisa London, who denied that Belinda was made it to the final rounds of consideration for that part, and went on to reveal who the top three Hannah choices were in an Aug. 18 TikTok.
London came with receipts, showing off the actual audition sheet for the three actors in the final rounds of the Hannah Montana casting process. Alongside Cyrus’ name, the other top contenders for Hannah Montana’s role were Taylor Momsen and Daniella Monet.
The names should be very familiar for fans of the scandalous drama Gossip Girl and quirky sitcom Victorious.
London revealed that 1,200 girls auditioned to play Chloe Stewart, the original name of our favorite main character, which would later be changed to Miley Stewart after Cyrus’ casting. Taylor Momsen almost got the role, but ultimately she was passed up and found her stardom two years later on Gossip Girl as Jenny Humphrey; Momsen also went on to form a rock band, The Pretty Reckless.
The fact that Momsen nearly played Hannah has actually been relatively well-known for years, but London’s revelation that Monet was also up for the part is new information. Though Daniella Monet didn’t make the cut either, she got her taste of fame on Victorious as the main character’s older sister, Trina Vega.
That leaves Cyrus, who landed the part and inspired the writers to change the lead’s name to Miley Stewart. London’s explainer was insightful, and it’s sure to leave Hannah Montana fans wondering about the alternate timelines of who else nearly donned that iconic blonde wig.
