Lucy Hale’s Big Reveal: Auditioned for Miley’s Iconic Hannah Montana Role!

While many recognize Lucy Hale from her leading role in Pretty Little Liars, she could have landed a very different part as the lead in Disney’s Hannah Montana. Hale shared that although she didn’t get the part, which ultimately went to Miley Cyrus, the audition was a pivotal moment that reinforced her passion for pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.

During a recent episode of BuzzFeed’s The Puppy Interview, Hale opened up about various surprising roles she had auditioned for, including in Pitch Perfect, Hairspray, Hannah Montana, 50 Shades of Grey, and The Substance.

“Oh my gosh, so many,” she remarked. “Having lived in L.A. for nearly two decades, I’ve come to realize that the roles that go to others were meant for them. For every single ‘yes’ I’ve received, there were about 200 ‘nos’. I should probably look back at my journals to see all the roles I’ve auditioned for.”

Hale confirmed she auditioned for the title role in the beloved children’s sitcom Hannah Montana, which aired from 2006 to 2011 and catapulted Cyrus to fame as a teen idol. At the time of her audition, she was only 14 and still residing in her native Tennessee.

“It was a couple of years before they decided on Miley for the role,” she explained. “I clearly remember the audition. It was a video audition back in Tennessee. It was the audition that sparked my interest in acting. It was incredibly memorable and quite exciting.”

Later in the interview, Hale reminisced about her very first acting gig, which was a brief appearance on another popular children’s sitcom, Nickelodeon’s Drake and Josh, when she was just 15.

“I was extremely nervous. In the scene, Drake [Bell] asks, ‘What’s your name?’ and I reply, ‘Hazel!’ He then says, ‘Like the nut?’ and I answer, ‘uh-huh!’ That’s it. It was groundbreaking. My career took off from there, so I guess it all started with that scene,” she said with a laugh.