THEN AND NOW: The cast of the 'High School Musical' movies 11 years later
Disney Channel and Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
On August 17, 2007, Disney Channel premiered "High School Musical 2." The sequel to the 2006 movie centered on a group of teenagers spending their summer vacation at Lava Springs Country Club — and was named the No. 1 basic cable telecast of all time with 18.6 million viewers.
Even though many other Disney Channel Original Movies (also known as DCOMs) have aired since then, "HSM 2" still remains the highest-rated flick. Catchy tracks like "Work This Out" and "Bet on It" also led "HSM 2's" soundtrack to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and become the second-biggest selling album of 2007.
Keep reading to see what the cast has been up to in the 11 years since the movie was released, from Zac Efron to Vanessa Hudgens.
Zac Efron starred as Troy Bolton.
Disney Channel
He was the most popular guy at East High, equally talented at singing and playing basketball. Troy fell in love with Gabriella after meeting her at a ski resort and reluctantly being paired up for karaoke.
Efron went on to star in comedies and musicals.
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
It's unclear when Efron and co-star Vanessa Hudgens began dating in real life, but they split in 2010.
Since "HSM," Efron has showed off his smooth moves as Link Larkin in the 2007 movie "Hairspray." He also led R-rated films like "That Awkward Moment," "Neighbors," "Dirty Grandpa," "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates," and "Baywatch."
In December 2017, the actor starred in "The Greatest Showman" alongside Zendaya and Hugh Jackman.
Next, the 30-year-old will play real-life serial killer Ted Bundy in "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile."
Gabriella Montez was portrayed by Vanessa Hudgens.
Disney Channel
Gabriella was one of the smartest students in her class. She was shy, but showcased her fun side whenever she took the stage for a performance.
Hudgens has made a name for herself as both an actress and singer.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
The 29-year-old released two albums (one in 2006 and the other in 2008). In 2012, she starred in "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" with Dwayne Johnson and "Spring Breakers" with Selena Gomez.
She hit Broadway with the titular role in the musical "Gigi," which ran for a few months in 2015. The actress also sang and danced as Rizzo in "Grease Live!" and starred on the short-lived NBC sitcom "Powerless."
These days, Hudgens is keeping busy on-screen and off-screen. She has been dating actor Austin Butler for more than five years and is currently a judge on FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance."
You can watch her in two upcoming films — "Dog Days" with Nina Dobrev and "Second Act" with Jennifer Lopez.
Ashley Tisdale played mean girl Sharpay Evans.
Disney Channel
Sharpay loved attention, and didn't appreciate people who were also gifted performers.
Ashley Tisdale is now an actress, singer, beauty founder, and executive producer.
Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for JDRF LA Chapter
Prior to "HSM," Tisdale was already Disney Channel royalty for her role as Maddie on "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody." She continued playing the Tipton hotel's candy counter girl until the show ended in 2008 and voiced the character Candace on "Phineas and Ferb."
Even though it has been almost 10 years since her last album dropped (she released two in 2007 and 2009), Tisdale confirmed that a third – titled "Symptoms" — is on the way and scheduled for release this fall.
She tied the knot with musician Christopher French in 2014 and branched into beauty with the creation of Illuminate Cosmetics in 2016.
Lucas Grabeel played Sharpay's brother, Ryan Evans.
Disney Channel
He was constantly forced to participate in schemes with his fraternal sister. But Chad gained a newfound sense of respect for Ryan after they danced to a baseball-themed routine in the sequel.
After "HSM," Grabeel went on to voice characters on popular TV shows.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
You might have recognized the 33-year-old's voice on shows like "Elena of Avalor" and "Family Guy." He also voices a hot dog on the new Nickelodeon and Netflix show "Pinky Malinky."
Additionally, he also starred as Toby Kennish on the drama series "Switched at Birth" and competed on the Food Network's "Chopped" in 2014. Acting aside, Grabeel is part of a folk-rock band called Midnight Holler.
When Grabeel teamed up with Tisdale in 2017 to sing "What I've Been Looking For" (popularized by the first "HSM" film) the former co-stars revealed a surprising detail about their relationship.
"We were not close," Tisdale recalled. "We were not good friends, let's be honest."
Grabeel added that they "didn't get off on the best foot," but nowadays they love each other.
Troy's wingman, Chad Danforth, was played by Corbin Bleu.
Disney Channel
In a 2007 interview, Bleu revealed that he actually came up with the creative and fun catchphrases that were written on Chad's shirts.
"I kept the one that said, 'I worship waffles,'" he added.
Bleu went on to become a Broadway star.
Michael Tran/Getty Images
He starred in productions of "In the Heights," "Godspell," and "Holiday Inn, the New Irving Berlin Musical."
The 29-year-old was also the runner-up on season 17 of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and released two albums.
He guest-starred on episodes of "Castle," "The Good Wife," "The Fosters," and "Chicago Med."'
In 2016, Bleu married actress Sasha Clemonts.
Monique Coleman starred as Taylor McKessie.
Disney Channel
Taylor was the leader of East High's scholastic decathlon team and selected as the activities coordinator at Lava Springs.
Coleman now uses her platform to empower others.
David Livingston/Getty Images
Aside from her Instagram being filled with inspirational messages, Coleman was named the United Nations' first-ever "Youth Champion" for her efforts to improve the lives of young people.
She is also a "Champion" for Girl Up, an organization that strives to help young women become leaders.
Like Bleu, the 37-year-old competed on "DWTS." She participated in 2006 and finished in fourth place. Coleman still remains good friends with Bleu, and sat down to interview him for an episode of her upcoming talk show, "Gimme Mo" (which will air on Discovery Life Channel).
Songwriter and pianist Kelsi Nielsen was played by Olesya Rulin.
Disney Channel
She wrote the song "You Are the Music in Me" for Troy and Gabriella.
Rulin runs a blog where she answers questions from fans, shares wellness and beauty tips, and writes about fashion.
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for CIROC
Most recently, the 32-year-old starred in the TV movie "Devious Nanny." She also appeared on shows like "The Night Shift," "NCIS," and "The Mentalist."
She's quite close with Coleman, and thanked her for "cheering me on and making me see my own potential. All while helping young people around the world achieve their dreams."
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