Where High School Musical cast are now – nude photo scandal, plastic surgery horror, cocaine shame & VERY bitter split
WITH its catchy tunes and talented young cast, High School Musical was a hit around the world when it hit the big screen in 2006.
It launched the career of teen heartthrob Zac Efron, who's since starred in a string of movies ranging from chick flicks to his most recent project, Gold.
The Troy Bolton actor, now 34, has undergone quite the physical transformation, having bulked up considerably for the 2017 Baywatch remake.
This week he addressed rumours he'd undergone plastic surgery on his face, revealing he broke his jaw after slipping while running and faceplanting a ceramic fountain.
In an , the actor told how he lost consciousness and woke with "his chin bone hanging off his face".
He explained the masseter muscles on the inside of his face and jaw then grew larger to 'compensate' for his injury, causing the shape to change.
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Having started out as a clean-cut Disney boy, Zac's fast-track to fame saw him turn to drink and drugs - and by 2013 he entered rehab.
Opening up about his struggles to in 2014, he admitted: “I was just so deep into my work, it was really the only thing I had... I clung to it in a way that became a little bit destructive.”
The star claims he learned from his mistakes and now follows a strict healthy living routine which includes a 9pm bedtime.
Things in his romantic life haven't been much smoother either. Having fallen for his co-star Vanessa Hudgens on the High School Musical set, the couple became inseparable.
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They split in 2010 after four years together but remained friendly.
Zac has since dated a string of stunning women, including Lily Collins, model Sami Miro and Australian model Vanessa Valladares.
Eyebrows were raised when one of his exes, Danish Olympic swimmer Sarah Bro, talked on a podcast about a past relationship with an 'American actor' who broke her heart.
She said: "It was really hard [being] with someone where I compromised so much with my own boundaries. Eventually, I got so far away from who I really was that I couldn’t recognise myself.”
So, what became of the other High School Musical graduates? We take a look.
Vanessa Hudgens
Stunning brunette Vanessa starred as Gabriella Montez, a student who transferred to East High School and fell for Wildcats captain Troy.
Just a year after the film came out the star, 33, was targeted by hackers and nude photos of her were shared online.
The actress, then 18, was left "traumatised" by the incident. She said at the time: "I want to apologise to my fans, whose support and trust means the world to me. I am embarrassed over this situation and regret having ever taken these photos."
In 2009 a second set of nude photos were shared on the internet, leading the star's lawyers to request they be taken down.
She told in 2020: "It was a really traumatising thing for me. It’s really f****d up that people feel like they are entitled enough to share something that personal with the world. As an actor, you completely lose all grip of your own privacy and it’s really sad."
Thankfully it didn't hinder her career and she went on to star in multiple movies, TV series and stage shows.
Vanessa hit the headlines again in 2020 for appearing to trivialise people dying of Covid during an Instagram live. She later admitted her comments may have come across as "insensitive".
Ashley Tisdale
Blonde bombshell Ashley, now 37, played Sharpay Evans who was keen to break up Troy and Gabriella.
Behind the scenes, things were reportedly frosty between her and Lucas Grabeel who played her on-screen brother and closest ally Ryan.
The pair were said to have disliked each other after clashing at the auditions. Ashley admitted in 2020 they "hated each other" but have since put their differences aside.
Ashley faced backlash after having a nose job when she was 22 to fix a deviated septum.
She said she was made to feel bad for her choice with fans claiming she hated her appearance - which was not the case.
Ashley also had breast implants but got them removed in 2020 after noticing she was having health problems, and has shared her journey towards a "non-toxic" life on her social media and blog.
In 2014 she married composer Christopher French and they welcomed their daughter Jupiter last year.
Lucas Grabeel
While the rest of his cast have had fairly turbulent lives post High School Musical, Lucas has managed to fly steadily.
He landed a role as a young Lex Luthor and Conner Kent in the TV series Smallville, and also appeared in films Little Women, I Kissed a Vampire, and College Roadtrip.
Reflecting on playing Ryan in the show, Lucas admits that he now wouldn't take on the character because he doesn't share his sexuality.
In 2020 the series creator Kenny Ortega confirmed rumours that the flamboyant teen was gay - just not out yet.
Ryan told : "There’s so many amazingly talented gay actors who could do it as well, and so if High School Musical was made today I don’t know if I would play Ryan. I would love to, but I just don’t know.
“The last thing that I want to do is take an opportunity away from other people, and as a straight, white man I know that even without trying I’ve taken opportunities away from people.”
In recent years, Lucas started a folk-rock band called Midnight Holler which has seven members including the actor.
Monique Coleman
The actress, 41, appeared in the films as Taylor McKessie who becomes Gabriella's best friend.
Monique has gone on to make guest appearances on shows including Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, and Malcolm in the Middle.
In 2006 she appeared in Dancing With The Stars and made it to the eighth week making her the longest-lasting female contestant in her series.
Outside of showbiz, Monique has been an active philanthropist and was even named a UN Youth Champion.
She's also worked with dosomething.org to produce a video encouraging young activists to use social media to help their aims and ideas come to fruition.
In her private life, Monique married Walter Jordan in February 2012 but the pair divorced in February 2022. Both parties have remained tight-lipped on the split.
Last year she opened up about the stylist on High School Musical not knowing how to style black hair - leading to her always wearing headbands in the films.
“We’ve grown a lot in representation and we’ve grown a lot in terms of understanding the needs of an African American actress,” Coleman told . “But the truth is [the hair stylists] had done my hair and they had done it very poorly in the front. And we had to start filming before I had a chance to fix it.”
Corbin Bleu
The actor, 33, rose to fame as Chad Danforth, the basketball-playing best friend of Troy.
After the third film wrapped, he turned his musical talents to Broadway and established himself as a fixture in the American theatre world.
He's trodden the boards for In The Heights, God Speed, and Holiday Inn, the New Irving Berlin Musical.
Corbin has also established himself on the small screen with roles in The Beautiful Life: TBL and on the silver screen with Scary or Die among other films.
He has also released two albums, Another Side (2007) and Speed of Light (2009), but only his first release charted at 36 on the US Billboard chart.
In 2011 Corbin was dragged into a court battle over the failure of the racing film Free Style, according to the .
The lawsuit alleged that the film failed due to a mix of alleging fraud, breach of contract, and misrepresentation. The financiers, who brought the suit, also claimed that Corbin hadn't promoted the film enough.
It is not clear how the claim was resolved.
In 2013 he appeared on Dancing With The Stars and came second.
Corbin tied the knot with long-term girlfriend Sasha Clements on July 23, 2016.
Olesya Rulin
The Russian actress, 36, played quiet songwriter and pianist Kelsi Nielsen in the smash hit series.
She starts off under the thumb of Sharpay but 'finds herself' as the films go on.
Olesya has had a serious glow-up and now looks unrecognisable.
She's a certified nursing assistant and during the filming of High School Musical 2 she was studying economics in Paris.
She's appeared in several films and TV shows since, including NCIS: Los Angeles.
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In her personal life, she married Joseph Noel Pauline and the pair welcomed daughter Ondine earlier this year.
On her social media pages, she bills herself as an "environmentalist" and regularly encourages her fans to be more eco-friendly.