As Zac Efron faces a lukewarm reception for The Lucky One -- the film featuring his first grown-up romantic lead -- let's take a look back at the stars of High School Musical, the made-for-television Disney movie that launched a multimillion-dollar franchise.
It has been more than six years since HSM premiered. The film was a huge break for its stars, then fresh-faced child actors who certainly were not known for taking edgier roles. HSM was cheesy, to be sure, but it was profitable cheese.
The High School Musical alum are still relatively fresh-faced, but some have clearly been trying to break away from that annoyingly squeaky-clean Disney image. One even posed nude for a magazine, and it wasn't Vanessa Hudgens.
Here's a look at the former HSM stars, what they've been up to, and where they are today.
Pictured is the original cast of the "High School Musical" films.ReutersZac Efron's latest film, "The Lucky One," isn't exactly thrilling the critics, but fans are still happy with his steadily rising career -- and his whole new set of muscles. His films since "High School Musical 3" include "Charlie St. Cloud," "Liberal Arts," and "Me and Orson Welles." He can be seen soon in the thriller “The Paperboy,” which also stars Nicole Kidman and John Cusack. Reutersn engineer of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) works inside the Kalol oil field in Gujarat September 12, 2009.
Reuters/Amit DaveAshley Tisdale got her own "HSM" spin-off, the direct-to-video "Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure." She had a starring role in the short-lived television series “Hellcats,” playing a college cheerleader. She does voice work for the Disney animated series "Phineas and Ferb.” She stars in the coming film “Jonah & the Whale.” She posed nude for Allure magazine last year, when she was quoted as saying, "Being in this shoot was me saying, 'I'm not just the young girl everybody thinks I am. I'm actually a woman.'"ReutersLucas Grabeel has a recurring role on the ABC Family show “Switched at Birth.” He starred in the musical Web series "I Kissed a Vampire."ReutersThousands of Twitter users were left wondering if "High School Musical" star Corbin Bleu had died after #RIPCorbinBleu trended nationally on Twitter Sunday evening.ReutersMonique Coleman is the head of the website Gimme Mo’, which is “dedicated to empowering today's youth.” Her television work since “HSM” includes an episode of the animated series “The Cleveland Show” and an appearance in one episode of the forensic thriller “Bones.”ReutersOlesya Rulin has been involved in several small film productions, including “Flying By,” “Expecting Mary,” and “Apart.”Reuters
