Thanks Disney+! Fans of the iconic Disney Channel Original Movie The Luck of the Irish can watch the flick even when it’s not St. Patrick’s Day! Starring Ryan Merriman, the classic DCOM premiered on March 9, 2001, and has become a total must-watch every March.

The Pretty Little Liars alum — yes, that’s Ian back in the day — played the role of Kyle Johnson, a teenager who finds out he has a bunch of family secrets, including that he’s part leprechaun. Throughout the movie, Kyle goes on a journey with his friends — played by Glenndon Chatman and Alexis Lopez — while trying to retrieve his grandfather’s lucky coin that was stolen by a fellow leprechaun, but he’s actually a huge villain.

“I want to bring some awareness to something that, quite frankly, has been under wraps for far too long,” Ryan joked in a 2018 E! News St. Patrick’s Day video when looking back at his role. “What I’m trying to say is, basically, I’m the OG Tory Bolton. There, I said it. There are just too many similarities between The Luck of the Irish and High School Musical, hear me out. Both movies star two ridiculously handsome basketball playing popular jocks. These said jocks have deep dark secrets they don’t want anyone to know about as well as above average singing and dancing abilities.”

By now, it’s no secret that Troy Bolton sang in HSM, but true Luck of the Irish fans will remember Kyle Johnson’s rendition of “This Land Is Your Land.”

Ryan continued, “All I’m saying is give Luck of the Irish the credit it’s due, and you remember who dribbled and danced into your hearts first.”

Nearly two years later, in March 2020, the former Freeform star even urged fans to watch the movie amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “If you’re stuck at home it’s an oldie but a goodie,” he captioned a festive St. Patrick’s Day Instagram post at the time.

It’s safe to say this movie will live on in our hearts forever! Scroll through our gallery to see what the Luck of the Irish cast is up to now, more than 20 years after its premiere. 

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