Overview
- Earles said he claimed to be 18 during auditions despite being 28 to play Jackson Stewart, a character written as 16.
- He recounted that Disney personnel learned the truth around episode eight of season one, when a network executive confronted him.
- Earles also acknowledged keeping his marriage secret during early production, recalling an executive pressing him about “any more secrets.”
- Casting director Lisa London encouraged him to understate his age, according to Earles’ account on the show’s new podcast.
- Showrunner Steven Peterman later told him they probably would have recast if they’d known earlier, yet Earles stayed through the 2006–2011 run, with the confession made public on the March 17 podcast ahead of Disney+’s March 24 anniversary special.