Former Disney star Mitchel Musso stated that juggling filming "Hannah Montana" with other projects was practically "impossible." In a new interview, the 34-year-old actor discussed his career development while working on his role as Oliver Oken in the Disney Channel original series, noting that filming took up so much of his time that he had no opportunity to do anything else. His comments came just days after he made headlines by criticizing the network for failing to give "Hannah Montana" its due.
Mitchel Musso said it was "impossible" for him to take on other projects while working on "Hannah Montana.".
During an appearance on the Joe Vulpis Podcast, Musso revealed that he was so busy filming Hannah Montana that he had no time to work on other projects. He explained that because the series was "massive," his agency likely turned down other offers that would have distracted him from his work.
«"I don't know if it was possible to do anything bigger than 'Hannah Montana' when she was on the show, right? That was incredible," he said. "So I'm sure my agency was offered various projects, but it wasn't possible because we were too tied to Disney. Unless it was a Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), then… we couldn't do it.".
Mitchel Musso missed out on some big opportunities, but it was worth it for him.
One of the projects Musso had to turn down was a role in Avatar: The Last Airbender. In a podcast, the singer of the hit "Hey" said he had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. Despite this, Musso fondly recalls his time as Oken and says he developed a close relationship with his co-stars, Miley Cyrus and Emily Osment.
«"It was the cast," he said. "It was our middle school, high school, college. Those were our [formative years]. We graduated high school as a threesome. It was just me, Miley, and Emily, right? So for us, that was it.".
Musso said their bond was so strong that they "never wanted to be apart." "We had so many inside jokes, just the three of us. We were our little group, you know, the three of us. And everyone, everyone was in that group, but especially the three of us because we were about the same age," he said.
Mitchel Musso admitted that he rarely watches himself on the TV series "Hannah Montana.".
In another segment of the interview, Musso told the podcast host that he rarely watched episodes of Hannah Montana, despite the show running from 2006 to 2011. He confirmed that he also watched other Disney series, such as The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Phineas and Ferb, and That's So Raven.
He then explained that one of the reasons he didn't watch himself on Hannah Montana was because he didn't want to see himself on screen, saying, "I hate watching reruns... It just makes me more nervous.".
«"I love being in front of the camera, but seeing myself on it is uncomfortable. I have problems with social media because I have to look at myself on camera… I just can't stand it. But I'm getting better," he said.
Musso praises his "sister" Cyrus.
Speaking about his friendship with his castmates, Musso said that while he's not as close with them now, he still loves them all. He then praised Cyrus, calling her one of the "coolest people" to be around, and expressed his gratitude to the singer.
«"One of the most impressive individuals, and watching her career… I don't talk to Miley every day, but, you know, once or twice a year I get to talk to her, and she's like a sister to me, you know? I would do anything for Miley," he said.
Musso criticized Disney for the 20th anniversary special of the series "Hannah Montana.".
Musso made headlines last week when he criticized Disney for failing to properly celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Hannah Montana.".
«"It's too long to wait to do it this way, which I think is completely wrong," he said of the special, which featured a conversation between Cyrus and Alex Cooper. "My inner child was counting on it, thinking, 'I can't wait until we're all back on set,'" he added. "But it didn't work out that way.".
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