Since the launch of Disney Channel in the mid-1980s, Disney Entertainment Television has become a platform for rising actors to begin their careers on screen. As the brand is gearing up for 2026, the year marks two milestones for the company: 20 years of “Hannah Montana” and “High School Musical,” where actors and musicians like Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, and Ashley Tisdale got their start on children’s programming. For Brenda Kelly Grant, Senior Vice President, Talent and Casting, Disney Branded Television, fostering and uplifting the industry’s upcoming slate of actors is key when it comes to future programming.
“For my entire casting team, we remember that everyone we’re looking at is in a stage of becoming,” reveals Grant. “It’s our job to interpret the gray area. We have an initiative where we will actually help talent. For example, if we have really good actors, but they’re not so great at singing or dancing, we’ll pair them up as it gets closer to the testing process with coaches who can help them with the singing and with the dancing. Our objective is to remember that this talent is becoming. We want to create the very best atmosphere for them from the beginning of the audition process until hopefully they move to other places within our company.”
Throughout the last few years, former Disney talent such as the Jonas Brothers and Selena Gomez have returned to collaborate with young actors on projects like “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” and “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.” It’s an opportunity for young actors to gain insight into working at Disney, while also offering former stars the chance to explore what they’re passionate about on or off screen.
“I think why they come back and work with us is about the opportunities and the scope of what the Walt Disney Company can offer them,” said Grant. “We have so many sandboxes to play in, whether it’s producing, creating, or doing voice overs. The possibilities are endless. It really goes through all of our senior leadership of just creating a best home for talent and being able to be in partnership with people to create what they want to see and what they want to feel.”
With the release of Season 2 of “Percy Jackson and The Olympians,” Grant is excited for audiences to see and connect with actors like Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri as they begin to return to Camp Half-Blood. As the leads of the series, Grant is hopeful that the casting and work of younger actors at Disney Entertainment Television resonates with viewers at any age.
“Walker was a young kid in the casting process, and now he’s like a man,” said Grant. “When I see Leah come to me and she’s like, “You know what? What else can I do?” People see themselves in our talent. They see their stories and their experiences, and the challenges that you face in the world of becoming an adult. They see the power and like what they’re doing. That’s really appealing to people. We always not just want to meet our viewers where they’re at, but we want to exceed those expectations.”
