Access Exclusive: On The Set Of “High School Musical 2”

BURBANK, Calif. (July 13, 2007) — School’s out for the cast of “High School Musical 2”… as the cast returns for the hotly anticipated sequel. Access Hollywood was exclusively on the films St. George, Utah set where star Ashley Tisdale assured us, “The magic is happening in this once again, we feel.”Zac Efron, who plays the young heartthrob, Troy Bolton, tells Access, “Everything has been kicked up a notch. We’re all trying to bring 110% once again and make another great movie.”This time, the East High Wildcats will be spending summer break working at an exclusive country club dubbed Lava Springs. Tisdale, who plays spoiled rich kid, Sharpay Evans, and Lucas Grabeel, who plays her equally spoiled brother, Ryan, are members at the club. Sharpay’s ride of choice is a pink mustang convertible and a matching pink golf cart which Tisdale showed off to us, “It’s pink yes, and I actually have my little cooler, fluffy cooler in the back. It’s actually like a model of a Mercedes but I have the s-e for Sharpay Evans. The license plate matches my license plate on my mustang convertible and it says fabulous of course.”The entire cast had gathered on the stunning St.George set where, fortunately, nothing much [ego wise] – has changed in the two years it’s been since this group of relative unknowns filmed the first one. Monique Coleman, who plays smart girl Taylor McKessie (and later found success as a contestant on season three of “Dancing with the Stars”), believes the whole cast has remained grounded.“I definitely think everyone checked their ego at the door with this one and that really we don’t have a reason to have an ego. We are very blessed fortunate kids that we got a part of a movie that became a phenomenon.”“High School Musical” first premiered on Disney channel in January 2006 racking up an impressive (for cable) 7.7 million viewers. Then word of mouth began to spread about the catchy music, fun toe-tapping dances and the general sense of glee it gave kids. Tisdale recalls it was not an overnight success though, “It was like a snowball effect. Suddenly we would hear that we were on the Billboard charts. Then we would hear we were number one on the Billboard charts. Then we would hear that we were up for an Emmy and then we would win one — like it was crazy.” Success spawned a chart-topping album, a record breaking DVD, a sold out concert tour and it propelled the cast into tweeny bopper stardom. Vanessa Anne Hudgens, who plays sweetheart Gabriella Montez, is sometimes stunned by the reaction from fans. “The response you get is so overwhelming from these kids sometimes a little girl will come up to you and just start bawling and hyperventilating.”To help build anticipation for the August premiere date, this time everyone’s been sworn to secrecy about the plot, the dances and the music. It’s a tough assignment according to Efron, “I definitely have to watch what I say because I don’t want to get in trouble.”Coleman on the other hand, is finding the process of keeping things under wraps much easier, “If we can keep this a secret it doesn’t mean that we think we are better. It means that it’s just not time to watch it yet. So, hold on and wait until August and you will get to find out everything that you want to know.” “High School Musical 2” premieres August 17th on the Disney Channel.

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