Mitchel Musso Reveals Why He Turned Down Miley Cyrus’ 20th Anniversary Special Offer

Mitchel Musso is opening up about why he decided not to appear in Miley Cyrus’ Hannah Montana 20th anniversary celebration. The actor, who became a fan favorite as Oliver Oken on the Disney Channel series, revealed that he was offered a chance to take part in the special but ultimately felt the project was not the right fit.

During his first-ever podcast interview on The Joe Vulpis Podcast, Musso talked about his feelings toward the Disney+ event and explained that he was hoping for something closer to a real Hannah Montana reunion. Instead of a celebration special, he said he wanted to see the original cast return for a new episode or movie.

The anniversary special brought Miley Cyrus back to the world of Hannah Montana, including a return to recreated versions of the Stewart family living room and Miley’s bedroom sets. Cyrus also shared emotional moments with her father and former co-star Billy Ray Cyrus and performed songs from the iconic character.

While Musso appreciated the celebration, he admitted he was disappointed that the original cast did not reunite for a proper story. “Do an episode. Do the show. The set’s still there,” he said during the podcast, explaining that he believed fans would have loved seeing the characters together again.

The actor said he was excited about the possibility of stepping back into the role of Oliver Oken, especially after being away from Hollywood for years. “The kid in me was banking on it, like ‘I can’t wait for us to all be on set again,’” Musso explained. However, he said that opportunity never happened in the way he imagined.

When asked directly if Disney had contacted him about joining the anniversary special, Musso confirmed that they had. However, he felt the idea was not handled in the way he hoped.

“Of course they asked me. But, like I said, it wasn’t presented correctly,” Musso said. He added that he felt there was too much time between the original series and the special, and that the project did not match the kind of reunion he wanted.

The actor continued, “It wasn’t the right thing. And I was busy doing something that was more important. But it would have been way more important if it would have just been an episode, or a movie.” Musso added that he would have happily returned if the original cast was coming back for a full Hannah Montana story.

Musso also joked that returning as Oliver would not be difficult because he still remembers the character well. However, he admitted he would need one important detail to complete the look: Oliver’s famous hairstyle. “I would need the wig,” he said while discussing the character’s recognizable appearance.

The Disney+ special arrived in March and reportedly attracted 6.3 million views during its first three days of streaming. The event celebrated two decades of Hannah Montana and featured appearances from several stars, including Selena Gomez, Chappell Roan, and Cyrus’ mother Tish.

Several former cast members still showed support for the anniversary, including Jason Earles, who played Jackson Stewart, and Moisés Arias, who portrayed Rico. Emily Osment, who played Lilly Truscott, also shared a message about the anniversary but said she could not attend because of scheduling issues.

Although Musso was not part of the final celebration, he said he still has a lot of love for Hannah Montana and the character that helped launch his career. For him, the dream reunion was always about bringing the original cast back together for one more story.

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