Hannah Montana alum Emily Osment admits the “terrible” secret of never seeing the series she starred on alongside Miley Cyrus. The show aired on Disney Channel in 2006 and ran until 2011 with four seasons totaling just under one hundred episodes. The series became one of Disney Channel’s most successful franchises, with a concert film released in 2008 and Hannah Montana: The Movie released in 2009. The show served as a launchpad for Cyrus’ music career which initially included albums by her Hannah Montana alter ego before retiring the character when the series ended.
Osment played Lilly Truscott, best friend to Miley Stewart (Cyrus) and Oliver Oken (Mitchel Musso). The series revolves around Miley’s attempts to juggle her double life as a rockstar and a normal teenager. In the first episode, Lilly learns about Miley’s secret and takes up an alter ego of her own named Lola Luftnagle to help her friend. Osment continued playing Lilly until Hannah Montana‘s conclusion, even appearing in the 2009 movie.
Despite the show’s impact and long run, Osment admits on the Chicks in the Office podcast (via E!)that she’s never seen Hannah Montana in its entirety. Osment reminisces about watching the premiere because there was a party celebrating the occasion but doesn’t feel the same pull to watch the series as many fans did and continue to do with the series’ release on Disney+. Hannah Montana‘s premiere stands out to Osment because no one knew what the show would become, and the immediate success of the series changed many things for Osment as well as her co-stars. However, aside from that episode, Osment says of the series:
I can’t even tell you whether I’ve watched it at all. Is that terrible?
Osment was in high school during Hannah Montana and admits it was a strange time in her life where it was easy to step away from being a celebrity. It appears Osment was having her own double-life experience that mirrored that of her TV best friend, which had caused Cyrus to experience some psychological hardship. While remaining a series regular on Hannah Montana, Osment pursued her own music career, including tracks with Musso, and other acting pursuits such as the Disney Channel original movie Dadnapped in 2009. Since her tenure with Disney, Osment has starred in additional sitcom style shows as well as refocused on her music with a new alias, Bluebiird.
It’s not uncommon for stars of a body of work to skip watching the material they’re involved with. For example, Evangeline Lilly recently admitted she hasn’t seen all of the Marvel movies and TV shows despite her role in the franchise. The reasons for this are numerous and unique to each actor, but sometimes it comes down to their inherently different relationship with the media than that of the audience. Hannah Montana was a hallmark for an entire generation of Disney viewers, and it is understandable that a deep nostalgia is held for the show. However, the audience shouldn’t expect the actors in beloved shows or movies to hold them as dearly for the same reason.
Source: Chicks in the Office (via E!)