Published: June 30, 2008 05:27 pm      

Rico will entertain fans here

ASHLAND — Fans of the hit Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana” will get a chance to meet one of the show’s stars, trouble-maker Rico, played by actor Moises Arias.

Arias, an up-and-coming young actor, will appear at the festival Wednesday at the riverfront from 6 to 8 p.m.

Rico is the nemesis of Miley’s brother Jackson, as well as his boss at the hot dog stand on “Hannah Montana.”

“We try to bring something to everybody at summer motion,” said Summer Motion president Chuck Charles. “Kids of that age, of the Hannah Montana movement, they’re going to have a blast with it. We’ve had tons of calls on it.”

Charles said he had discussions with Billy Ray Cyrus, whose daughter Miley Cyrus plays Hannah Montana, about coming to do Summer Motion and received a positive response. But after talking with attorneys through the fall and winter, he found it wasn’t going to work out.

“We partnered up with Time Warner and Disney to get a celebrity-type here like that,” Charles said. “We had a couple of choices.”

Rico plans on being at the festival possibly beyond the two hours that are scheduled. “He may even stay for the show,” Charles said.

Charles said he knows at least one little girl who can’t wait to meet Rico.

“I’ve got a 5-year-old granddaughter who is so excited she can hardly stand it,” he said. “She’s got all that Hannah Montana stuff.”

Arias was born in New York but his family moved to Atlanta when he was four months old. He began taking acting classes at a local acting school there and in January 2005 his family moved to Los Angeles so Arias could compete in an acting and modeling competition.

He landed a national Burger King commercial within the first month of being in Los Angeles and soon after booked his first guest starring role on television in “Everybody Hates Chris.” A supporting role opposite Jack Black in the Paramount feature film “Nacho Libre” followed along with back-to-back guest starring roles on Disney Channel’s hit series “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” and “Hannah Montana.”

CARRIE KIRSCHNER can be reached at ckirschner@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.