Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat! Monique Coleman gushes over her 15-year-long friendship with High School Musical costar and real-life bestie Corbin Bleu. The actress tells J-14 exclusively that they have a “genuine” love for each other and are always “showing up for each other” over the years.
“[We’re] protective of the parts of our friendship and as we grow and develop as people, really just being a safe space,” the actress shares while promoting Blackbox TV’s latest VR series Scream Park. “That’s really where the longevity comes from, is being a safe space.”
Monique and Corbin, along with Lucas Grabeel and a few other High School Musical stars, are set to appear in the upcoming fourth season of the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Back at East High, the HSMTMTS teens learn that their high school is being used to film High School Musical 4: The Reunion movie, and they’ll all be playing featured extras alongside some OG cast members. While filming the show in Utah, the Lifetime star remembers “reminiscing and reflecting” about their time on the films’ set all those years ago.
“Obviously, our lives changed but we all had very different experiences of that [time]. The industry has drastically changed since then and we’ve each faced our own level of diversity as well as triumphs,” Monique shares. “It was really special for us to, kind of, get to know each other all over again and the moment that we’ve overcome things that we weren’t able to be there for each other for the way we would have previously.”
While Monique wasn’t able to disclose anything about her HSMTMTS character, the actress did reveal that she’s “completely” caught up on the show.
“I will say that a lot of our story lines, the ways that the characters had gotten to evolve, is very inclusive. We each had had conversations about what we wanted to be able to offer as ourselves bringing 15 years of experience to this moment,” she teases. “It’s definitely gonna feel incredibly nostalgic and I think very emotional for everyone involved. It’s beautiful to know that does originate behind the scenes. It’s not something that’s manufactured or created just for entertainment purposes. It’s really real.”
Monique tells viewers to “have their tissues ready.” She adds, “There’s kind of a difference between the old school and the current [stars] and I think it’ll be obvious.”
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