High School Musical: Where Are the Stars Now?

When it comes to the Disney Channel, High School Musical is one of a kind. From the movies to the sold-out tours, the franchise really was the start of something new — especially for the film's stars. Not only did the movies establish a precedent for Disney movies to come, but it also jump-started careers for big names like Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens when it premiered 15 years ago. In 2019, the franchise took another another form with Disney+ mockumentary series, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. As you celebrate the film's anniversary, see what the original Wildcats are up to ahead.

Zac Efron as Troy Bolton
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Getty | Dave J Hogan

Zac Efron as Troy Bolton

After the HSM movies wrapped, Efron continued his career as a movie heartthrob starring in hits like 17 Again and Nicholas Sparks's The Lucky One. He also appeared in the Baywatch reboot, The Greatest Showman, and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile. Most recently, he starred in Netflix's Down to Earth With Zac Efron in which he traveled with wellness expert Darin Olien to find sustainable ways to live.

Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez
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Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez

Following the end of the Disney Channel franchise, Hudgens took a break from her singing career to focus more on acting, starring alongside big names such as Mary-Kate Olsen in Beastly and Dwayne Johnson in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. She charmed as Rizzo in Fox's Grease: Live production in 2016, and was one of the leads in Powerless before it was canceled in 2017. Since then, she has become a leading lady in Netflix romantic comedies, starring in The Knight Before Christmas and The Princess Switch franchise. She is also set to star in the film adaptation of Tick, Tick . . . Boom! later this year.

Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth
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Getty | Rich Polk

Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth

Just like Hudgens, Bleu took a stab at musical theater, performing in Broadway productions of In the Heights, Godspell, Holiday Inn, the New Irving Berlin Musical, and Kiss Me, Kate. He later became a soap star on One Life to Live and bopped to the top of season 17 of Dancing With the Stars, earning the title of runner-up. He's made guest appearances on shows like The Middle and Supergirl. Bleu also tied the knot with actress Sasha Clements in July 2016 after a romantic proposal at Disney World.

Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans
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Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans

Tisdale kept close ties with Disney after the films, voicing Candace Flynn in Phineas and Ferb and later reprising her role as Sharpay Evans in the spinoff Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure. She also added producer to her résumé, teaming up with the Disney Channel for the film Cloud 9 and with ABC Family for Young & Hungry. In 2014, she married the lead singer of Annie Automatic, Christopher French, and Hudgens was a bridesmaid! Most recently, she starred on CBS's Carol's Second Act and Netflix's Merry Happy Whatever.

Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans
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Getty | Alberto E. Rodriguez

Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans

Grabeel has appeared in a few different TV shows since HSM, but his most notable is the role of Toby Kennish on Switched at Birth, which earned him three Teen Choice Awards nominations. He also founded a production company called 14341 Productions, where he writes, directs, and produces several different short films. In 2019, he made a nostalgic cameo on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series as himself.

Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie
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Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie

Coleman has made a few guest appearances on shows such as Bones and Stitchers. She also created an online platform called Gimme Mo' to inspire and motivate today's youth, and she has since become the first-ever UN Youth Champion for her efforts. In 2012, she married her husband, Walter Jordan, in Thailand on Valentine's Day.