Hannah Montana may have launched Miley Cyrus into global superstardom, but the Disney Channel hit also turned Cody Linley into a teenage heartthrob.
It was a role he still finds surreal two decades later.
At the Los Angeles premiere of the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special on March 23, Linley reflected on his time as Jake Ryan, one of Miley Stewart’s boyfriends on the series.
“It’s hard to believe that there were girls that had pictures of me with my shirt off in their locker,” the 36 year old told Yahoo Entertainment.
“It’s hard to not let it go to your head.”
Linley first joined the show at 17, quickly becoming a fan favorite thanks to Jake’s on again, off again romance with Miley.
While fans often speculated that Jake and Miley were “endgame,” Linley acknowledged that the storyline ended with betrayal.
“Jake did do her dirty in the end. I’ll leave it up to fans’ speculation on that one,” he added.
Despite the fame, Linley insisted he stayed grounded.
“You have to remember that it’s an image they are seeing, it’s not you,” he explained.
“And that’s what’s tricky about being an actor, is, when you have a failure or success, it’s not you that’s a failure or success, it’s the work that you did.”
After Hannah Montana, Linley competed on Dancing with the Stars, appeared in Melissa & Joey and the Sharknado franchise, and has since moved into directing.
The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special is now streaming on Disney+, bringing the cast back together to celebrate the enduring legacy of the show that defined a generation.
