Interview:
The Girls of HSM3!
by
Lynn Barker
 If
you don't love them, you are certainly aware of them; Vanessa Hudgens
(Gabriella), Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay), Monique Coleman (Taylor) and Olesya
Rulin (Kelsi). These singin'/dancin'/actin' girls have rocked our TV sets
in two High School Musical films and now, finally they hit the big screen
in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Rumor is, the new Sophomore
characters introduced in "3" will go on in future HSM films
and Sharpay will be involved in the school as an assistant to the colorful
drama teacher Miss Darbus. But, for core cast purposes, this is it for
the female Wildcats!
We sat down
for a little gurl-chat dish recently in Beverly Hills and got the scoop
as the girls look back on their wild HSM ride, their emotional final scene
and what's up for the future. Picture Vanessa in a red outfit (her best
color), Ashley in a mauve top with black beading, Monique in a tight green
drape-neck blouse and Olesya dressing a lot like her character in a peace
symbol scarf over a white shirt and black jacket. Let's dish...
AGW: Vanessa,
for most of these three films you just seem to be so happy. Are you just
a super happy person?
Vanessa: (laughing)
I get to do what I love. It's amazing. I grew up acting and singing and
dancing and I get to work with my best friends. This is the dream job
and I really love my character. She's this strong, positive young woman
who is always fighting for the right things so she's a fun character to
play. I'm a happy person as well so it's always easy to put a smile on
your face.
AGW: Your
characters have to make a decision about what to do with your lives after
high school. Growing up, did you always know what you wanted to be when
you were an adult?
 Vanessa:
I always really liked acting, singing and dancing and it's been a hobby
of mine so I feel really lucky that I got to have this experience. I'm
lucky that my hobby turned out to be my career.
Monique: Yes,
but I'm not sure that our characters do have a clear vision of exactly
what they want to do. I think that what High School Musical does
is break us out of that box. Now we're living in a time where kids need
to know what they want to do by the time they're seven. That's ridiculous.
What this movie says is you don't need to know by the time you're eighteen.
Actually, you have a whole world of possibilities that lay before you
and ultimately, the only thing that is important is that you do make a
choice and the choice is yours.
AGW: But Taylor
is one character who is aiming at the White House.
Monique: Well,
my character is a little different and did know exactly what she wanted
to do and I, also, when I was very young, did know what I wanted to do.
But, this movie has broadened my horizons and made me feel like 'you,
know, I'm interested in writing and speaking and doing a bunch of other
things'. And we'll all, hopefully, have a very colorful career ahead of
us.
Ashley: Actually,
it's really funny because at a young age, I've really always known what
I wanted to do. I've been in the business since I was three. I kind of
fell into it. My parents didn't want me in the business so they never
pushed me to do anything. All they pushed me to do was to have an education
and go to regular school and just be normal just like everybody else even
though I was doing commercials at a young age and touring the world in
'Les Miserables' at age eight. But, that's because I want to do it.
AGW: How did
you get hooked on the business so early?
Ashley: I
get inspired when I see things. I went to New York and saw 'Les Miserables'
I had to do it. I wanted to do it. I'm just very lucky and blessed that
I actually got to. I usually put my mind toward things and I end up doing
it which not everybody can say so I am like my character Sharpay in a
way where she always knows what she wants and she goes out there and gets
it. However we go about it in a different way.
AGW: It can
be scary making big life decisions. From an actor's point of view, what
gives you the courage to take that step?
Olesya: For
me, what gives me the courage to take big steps is the possibilities.
I grew up in Russia. I moved to America at age seven. I was born in a
little tiny village, like twelve houses with no indoor plumbing and my
parents, through a lot of work and a lot of luck, came to America and
they were given this world where anything is possible. Every day. when
I wake up. I feel like that. I came from a little house without any plumbing
and my dad hunted for our food and I'm here now working for Disney Channel
and I represent Mickey Mouse and I think that's awesome. It just shows
me that anything is possible if you have that courage and faith in yourself,
you can accomplish anything.
AGW: What
would you say to teens out there who are going through what your characters
in this film are...Senior year, prom, graduation, going to college and
all that?
Olesya: I
would say 'don't worry because even failing at something can be so beautiful'.
Take a lot of time, especially right now, in middle school and high school.
(Some say that) you have to get straight 'A's, you can't make any mistakes.
You have to have six hundred credit hours of community service or you're
not getting into NYU'. There's so much pressure. You know what? Be crazy.
Try something different. Yeah, you might fail. You might be horrible at
playing the violin but at least you tried and there's beauty in that.
'Hey, I tried it and I was really bad but I did it for three years. That's
saying something. That's how you develop and grow into the person you
are. You grow your own personal character by making mistakes, by going
out there by experimenting as much as you can and that's life and there's
no way you should stop yourself from experiencing it.
AGW: That's
very cool advice! Ashley, this film kind of sets you up for 'The Sharpay
Evans Musical' in number 4. Is that going to happen?
 Ashley:
I don't know anything about that. It is flattering to have an open door,
obviously for my character but I am doing other projects as well and moving
on. But, this project is something I'll always hold close to my heart.
We have so much fun and we've created such an amazing family. I had the
best time on and off screen with this cast.
AGW: Can you
talk about your emotions on the last day of shooting? Zac and Corbin said
it was pretty emotional.
Ashley: It
was totally emotional. Momo [to Monique] I just said 'Momo' (laughs),
Monique, actually, she cried first.
Monique: Actually
no, okay I do normally, but this time I did not, You started crying first.
Ashley: Okay
maybe I did and we all started crying and then huddling and it was emotional.
Monique: I
was a dirty mess. I ruined my costume. I had to go back to the trailer
and clean my face up but I didn't start it this time.
Ashley: Kenny
(Ortega) had said this amazing speech and that's what got us all going.
Hair and Make-up [people] even started crying. They couldn't get hair
and make-up back on us. It was an emotional fest. But even Lucas Grabeel
who is such an amazing person and is usually stand-off-ish in feelings,
he doesn't show his feelings and he even teared up. That's something that's
really big because for the last three years, he's the man. He doesn't
do that. But he showed some tears and it was definitely emotional.
AGW: What
did Kenny say that started everybody crying?
Monique: We're
the ones that get the attention from this movie primarily and that's not
necessarily where all the attention is due. It's an ensemble; it's the
writer, producers, everyone involved. But, Kenny really is sort of the
cornerstone for us. He, obviously made all our dreams come true [she's
tearing up here a she speaks] He said, 'you know, guys, I'm so proud of
you but I want you to know that this is my dream. It was my dream to be
able to do this in my career and I owe it to all of you and the performances
that you gave and the energy that you put behind this and I'm eternally
grateful to you' and we were just like [she starts mock-crying] to know
that not only has your life been changed but you're able to give that
back and that's this whole thing is about. We're inspiring kids but then
kids get to turn around and inspire us back. There's nothing more exciting
than for some child to talk up to you and say 'oh my gosh, I love Taylor
McKessie or 'I wear glasses too' or just the little things that we don't
even realize that kids pick up on or connect to. I can tell, when a kid
shows up wearing a little tie...'who's your favorite?' [laughter]. It's
really inspiring.
AGW: Vanessa,
are you proud to be representing Latinas in these High School Musical
films? Have Latin fans come up to you?
Vanessa: That's
actually one thing that drew me to the project. It wasn't the stereotypical
leading lady; the fact that she is Hispanic, Gabriella Montez, was something
that I found really interesting and I'm very proud to be a part of it.
I feel like there's not that many people who can represent for a different
ethnicity and I'm really proud. Whenever I get the chance to go to Mexico,
I try my hardest to speak Spanish to connect with everybody but it really
is an honor.
AGW: Monique,
after doing 'Dancing with the Stars' how did you feel when you found out
there would be ballroom dancing in HSM3?
Monique: I
was excited about that.
AGW: Were
you afraid of hearing Len [Goodman] and Bruno's [Tonioli, the judges']
voices in your head while you were dancing in this film?
Monique: Absolutely
not. 'Dancing with the Stars' was a very interesting experience for me.
One of the things I learned about myself is that I'm not actually a competitive
person. I only compete with myself. But, I was very excited that we were
going to be doing the waltzing. For one, I wasn't going to be judged but
also because I think we have this idea of high school and the prom and
that usually involves [she makes her own funny beat box noises] that type
of music and really short skirts and 'how revealing can my prom dress
be?'
AGW: A waltz
is more elegant and romantic.
 Monique:
Yeah, for the prom in our musical, to be a waltz, I felt like, is very
classy. Truly, a throwback to old movie musicals and also bringing a class
and integrity to a younger generation because whatever you expose kids
to is what they're going to absorb. If you expose kids to only techno
and whatever then that's what they're going to think is the standard.
But, if you expose them to something that is very difficult and does require
trust and does require you to be intimately close to someone without it
being [suggestive], then I think we are really sending out an awesome
message.
AGW: Vanessa,
I wanted to ask you about ballroom dancing with Zac. Is that something
you both had done before or something you had to learn?
Vanessa: Oh
no, we definitely had to learn. It was the most difficult dance that I've
had to do throughout the three movies just because it's so different.
I've taken tap and jazz and hip-hop but nothing could have prepared me
for doing the waltz; the lifts we do, the turns we do, it was a lot. When
Kenny told me about it, I thought he was kidding because it's just so
far-fetched but I'm really proud of it. Like Monique said, it is kind
of a throwback and it's just so classic and so classy and it's so sweet
and romantic that it actually turned out to be one of my favorite parts
of the movie and I'm really proud that it came out so well.
AGW: You two
looked great doing it. Favorite scene, favorite song?
Vanessa: It's
so hard. We've done three movies. It's been three years of our lives that
we've had the most amazing time. We've done so much together and been
through so much that picking one memory is almost impossible. One really
great thing for me was "We're All in This Together" because
it was kind of where our magic really came into the picture. We became
this family and it was a moment that was really special, really magical.
I remember me and Monique were crying, or Monique was crying and it was
a really great moment for me.
Monique: Like
Vanessa said, it's been such an incredible ride and we've gotten to do
things that other actors don't get to do ever in their careers, from doing
concert tours. The amount of press that we're doing for this feature,
we did for a TV movie and went all over the world and got exposed to so
many more things. Every single day, whether it be working with the Make
a Wish Foundation or having someone that you really admire, like Chandra
Wilson of 'Grey's Anatomy' whom I love, having her know who I am...every
day there's something exciting, to remember.
AGW: How did
your real-life Senior years compare to this film?
Ashley: My
real-life Senior year was completely opposite of Sharpay's. She's thinking
about a Julliard scholarship the entire Senior year because it's a step
towards Broadway for her whereas I was already acting in my high school.
I had to make a big decision. Education is very important in the family
so I'd asked my dad, 'can I please take off a year before I go to college
because I really want to focus on my acting'. In order to do that he said
'well, you have to take as many acting classes as you can. I don't want
you sitting around waiting for an audition'. And I did. I took as many
acting classes as I could. I went to Groundlings for improv. But, I actually
missed the structure of school because I went to regular school my whole
life. But that was just a choice I made because I knew I wanted to be
an actress. If I went to college it would have been for writing but I
get to co-write my music on my album so I get to use that. But, now Sharpay
is going to U of Albuquerque and assisting Ms. Darbus [in the High School
Drama Department].
 Olesya:
My Senior year is really similar. I was working a fulltime job and I had
five classes and just worked all day long and went to school all day and
did a lot of community service and I graduated with my associates from
high school and I was just really busy and really just focused on college
and trying to get my full ride and all that craziness that comes with
Senior year. I had really bad Senior-itis, never went to school but got
great grades. [laughter]
Vanessa: I
was actually home-schooled so I never really went to high school. That's
just another reason why High School Musical means so much to me. I got
to go to my prom for the first time but it's a lot better. I got to have
the prom that every girl wishes they had and I got to wear a cap and gown
for the very first time and graduate with people who I love dearly, the
cast who have become some of my closest friends so it's been a lot of
fun.
Monique: I
went to a private school and when I graduated, we did not wear a cap and
gown. We wore white dresses and (carried) a rose and I guess it was somewhat
similar to the graduation in this film. I wasn't nearly as emotional.
I was seventeen and I couldn't get out of high school fast enough, or
get on with my life fast enough and I couldn't get far away from South
Carolina fast enough at that time so I'm sure I had different motivations
than my character does but I definitely was a leader and ambitious.
We talked
with one of the HSM3 Producers earlier who made the point that doing three
High School Musical movies in a row was kind of like being in high school
for the cast and then they graduated together with this movie.
All pictures
courtesy of and copyright Walt Disney Pictures, 2008 |
