So meta! High School Musical: The Musical: The Series brought the High School Musical movies alive for a new generation, but now that the show is officially coming to an end, the cast is looking to “scratch that itch” for original fans, Frankie Rodriguez tells J-14 exclusively.
“It’s a lot of fun because we knew we were gonna do a High School Musical 4 type reunion thing,” Frankie adds about the Disney+ show’s forthcoming final season. “Of course, everybody has been asking for it, but the first thing you think is, ‘What does it look like? Why are they there? Where are these characters?’ But to get to see it up close, it’s like, oh wow. That’s what it would look like and it’s really cool.”
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4 — which premieres on Wednesday, August 9 — brings the Wildcats back to East High for senior year, following their summer at Camp Shallow Lake. However, amid their stage production of High School Musical 3, it’s announced that original cast members Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and Lucas Grabeel, among others, will be filming a High School Musical 4 reunion movie at the school.
While there are tons of full cast moments, each character also has their own side stories explored. Frankie teases more from his character, Carlos, and Seb’s (Joe Serafini) relationship this time around.
“Carlos and Seb are definitely in a Real Housewives episode,” he jokes. “They kind of have that whole dynamic of ‘will they, won’t they’ the whole season.”
As for Julia Lester‘s character, Ashlyn, she’s entering this school year as a whole new person.
“Ashlyn definitely went through a big self-discovery over the summer, and so, going into this new school year, there are a lot of questions of what parts of that is she gonna take with her,” the Broadway star explains. “How are they gonna expand even further than what we saw during season 3? How do they play in the dynamic of East High since she was just at summer camp? So, lots to discover for Ash in season 4 — and for all of us really.”
Another major exploration moment is Kourtney’s (Dara Reneé) college decision journey and how she’s “learning more about herself” throughout the process, the actress shares. Dara also hints at a possible new romance for the character, adding that Kourtney “sees them from the corner of her eye.”
Reporting by Hanna Wickes
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