Hannah Montana Turns 20: 7 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About How The Show Was Made

Miley Cyrus' iconic pop star character is back in the spotlight thanks to the show's 20th anniversary special on Disney .

Miley Cyrus is celebrating 20 years since she first transformed into fictional popstar Hannah Montana for the beloved Disney Channel series that became appointment viewing for tweens everywhere in the mid-2000s.

To mark the occasion, Miley put together a suitably epic anniversary special for Disney , featuring Miley’s own recollections from her time as Hannah, as well as appearances from stars like Selena Gomez and Chappell Roan, who opened up about what the show meant to them.

After launching in 2006, Hannah Montana quickly became one of Disney’s most successful shows, drawing in global audiences in the hundreds of millions and launching Miley’s career as a star in her own right.

Young viewers across the world became enchanted by the blonde-wig-donning teen with a secret life as a global pop star, as the lines between Hannah and Miley became increasingly blurry.

With Hannah Montana now back in the spotlight thanks to the anniversary special, we’ve gathered some little-known facts about how the whole thing came together that even the most devoted Smilers might not have known…

Miley Cyrus was originally ruled out of playing Hannah Montana for one crucial reason

When Disney first envisioned Hannah Montana, they were on the look-out for a rising teen actor to play the lead character.

This didn’t deter Miley Cyrus, just 11 at that time, who decided to try out anyway, even though she was too young for the part (she’d previously gone for the role of Lilly, which eventually went to Emily Osment).

Indeed, while they were........

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