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00:00 Awesome. Thank you. My mother was super happy to have this as the backdrop for so many junkets while I'm home.
00:05 So good.
00:06 Well, I am so thrilled to be talking to you about season four.
00:10 Obviously a little bittersweet because it's the final season.
00:14 I could watch these characters for the next ten years.
00:17 They could stay in high school for forever.
00:19 How long have you envisioned season four being the final season?
00:24 Heading into season four, I had a hunch, and then midway through production, this may sound counterintuitive,
00:32 but the vibes were so good on set that I remember calling Disney and saying,
00:38 "I'm going to turn in the final script, and when you read it, it's going to feel like the end."
00:44 And that's on purpose.
00:46 Because after four years at East High, it's time to graduate.
00:51 But also, I wanted to go out on top in a real mode of celebration
00:56 and with the opportunity to complete the story on our terms with real end games.
01:02 And so I've known for a while, and I told the principal cast,
01:06 I took them out to dinner the night before the final table read,
01:09 and I was like, "Every last table read of the season, we all cry a little bit because it could be the end."
01:15 And I just want to tell you guys it actually is, and we should hold each other up tomorrow and go out on top.
01:21 And they just really delivered, and I hope audience really feels that when they watch the show.
01:26 So the cast didn't know it was the final season until that last table read?
01:31 They suspected, because they could see where the stories were going.
01:36 But yeah, it was sort of official at the end of the season.
01:41 And that allowed for some real closure that we got to kind of say goodbye and thank you
01:46 to Salt Lake City and to the franchise at the end,
01:49 rather than kind of going off into the world and crossing our fingers.
01:53 So like you said, bittersweet, but mostly really sweet.
01:57 I think four seasons is a miracle.
02:00 Absolutely, especially in this day and age.
02:02 And to end shows on your own terms. I think that's really important for a show like this.
02:07 I know, I guess over the course of the four seasons, had you always had a specific ending in mind?
02:13 Or did it not sort of come to you until you were writing this final season?
02:17 Plot-wise, not a specific ending.
02:22 Okay.
02:24 But I think emotion and message-wise,
02:28 I wanted to say whether your cast is the lead, whether you actually go to Broadway,
02:35 whether you just take theater class to learn how to talk in front of a group of people
02:40 and then you become a surgeon or a car salesman, whatever it is,
02:44 hold your people up and find your people.
02:46 And that was really like the message, which is find your mentors, find your Miss Jens.
02:52 And so I think that really feels, without giving anything away,
02:56 I think that's really a theme at the end of the series.
02:59 But yeah, in terms of like some endgame couples,
03:04 this was the intention for a while and people are going to have to tune in to see what that means.
03:09 We'll get to the endgame couples a little bit.
03:12 Obviously, the end of last season featured the bombshell documentary
03:17 and not everybody got the best edit in the documentary.
03:21 What does the fallout of that look like for the East High kids when we pick up?
03:27 I think as always, it's more emotional than literal.
03:30 So Courtney sees it as like a real opportunity to become a star.
03:35 I think Gina and Ricky, who are really making a go at being an official couple,
03:40 there's some question as to how is the world going to handle this after that wild edit.
03:47 But I also think as important as that documentary was and as explosive as it is for them,
03:54 once they return to high school, they're back to some of the high school worries
03:58 and college and relationships and grades.
04:01 And I wanted to make sure for as meta as our show is,
04:05 I still want it to be relatable to kids out there who aren't actually in documentaries
04:10 and aren't actually famous because I think we all want the same things,
04:13 which is acceptance and love and opportunity.
04:17 Absolutely. Speaking of Gina and Ricky,
04:19 the ending of last season was everything that I ever wanted and more.
04:23 It was that, you know, obviously the whole season was a will they, won't they?
04:26 And that's pretty much been their sort of vibe for the past three seasons.
04:30 But then they had that kiss and you mentioned a little bit about how they're sort of adapting to high school
04:35 with the relationship. Are they going to be happier, like happy for a bit?
04:39 Or are they going to be hit with challenges right away?
04:44 I think, oh, Avery, oh, Hollywood life, you.
04:49 Yeah, I mean, they're hit with challenges for sure, many of them external.
04:54 This is what I think about Ricky and Gina.
04:58 They're the right couple.
05:00 And the question of the season is, but is this the right timing?
05:04 Yeah. Because on stage as in life, timing is everything.
05:10 And that's the fundamental question. But gosh, are they?
05:13 They're really good for each other. And I just hope they can figure that out.
05:18 Me too. I like I was like I've said before,
05:22 Sophia and Josh have some of the best chemistry that I've ever seen.
05:27 I just I'm astonished.
05:28 It's unteachable. It's unteachable what they've got.
05:31 And they're such good friends. And they so hold each other up off camera that I think they just again,
05:38 the miracle of four seasons, they've seen each other through ups and downs.
05:42 And I think they really trust each other on camera.
05:45 And so it's a beautiful thing to watch.
05:47 And I there's some super swoony romantic date nighty things coming up this season that I just can't wait for the audience to see.
05:54 Musical moments, I'm sure.
05:56 Always. Okay. I need I need a duet, more duets with them, especially in this final season.
06:04 I can promise you a duet. Oh, I can promise you a duet.
06:09 Maybe a couple. We'll see. My Apple Music is ready.
06:13 One of the best aspects of last season, I think, was Ashlyn, you know, really discovering her sexuality.
06:19 And I think that is such a relatable thing for teens and kids these days.
06:25 You know, what does that journey look like for her in this final season?
06:31 Yeah, I mean, her identity is such an evolving thing, as so many ours is these days, young or not, that we absolutely explore it.
06:41 And I think one of the interesting things we explore is that, you know, I've heard when people go on cruise ships, they make best friends and then they get home and they're like, I don't actually even like that person.
06:51 We were just on a cruise ship. So what Ashlyn needs to figure out is how much of that freedom and identity she discovered at summer camp.
06:59 She's able to integrate back at school, particularly with her ongoing relationship with the incredible Big Red.
07:05 And so her identity is a big part of it. And I think the story is told beautifully.
07:12 And I will say, Julia, no one brings a story like this to life like Julia.
07:17 And she's got some real heartfelt moments that, yeah, they're beautiful.
07:24 There was something there was some scene last season. It was like, oh, that's what it felt like.
07:28 And I was like, the way that she emoted that, like, was chef's kiss. It was gorgeous.
07:34 Yeah, that was written by Chandler Turk, one of our writers. And Julia just really got it.
07:39 And I remember before season three, calling her and saying, I want to be really, really professional right now and ask you a straightforward question, which is if the writers room wanted to explore Ashlyn's queer bisexual identity, are you comfortable with that?
07:55 And Julia burst into tears and said, it's everything I ever wanted. And I feel so honored.
08:01 And I was like, you know, what a, you know, and a time when I think queer people and many minorities and underrepresented groups feel threatened.
08:10 It is really special that we got to tell these stories on Disney Plus. Yeah, because at the end of the day, it's a big family brand.
08:21 And by the way, queer people, myself included, we are in your family. We want the same things you want.
08:27 And Julia nails it. Frankie nails it. Joe Serafini nails it. You know, they're a really special group.
08:33 Larry Saperstein as Big Red has got some really special stuff this season. So I think for that audience, which I know is big for us, they're going to, I think, feel seen, I hope, this season.
08:43 And then my final question is, I know that we're getting, you know, Corbin back, Monique, Lucas, and others back from the original franchise.
08:51 I know people are going to ask, you know, was an invite extended to all past members of High School Musical to return in season four?
08:59 Yeah, an invite was extended. And they are one. That's a wonderful group of people, all of them, including Kenny Ortega, by the way, by the way, who set the whole franchise up so beautifully.
09:11 And look, people should tune in August 9th on Disney+ and see who shows up.
09:15 But what I'll say is, you know, I really believe the reason the show, thank goodness, ended up going four seasons is because of Ricky and Gina and Courtney and Ashlyn and Carlos and Big Red and EJ.
09:28 And, you know, I just started naming them all Gina. And it's because this new generation of kids is so darn talented that we miraculously won over a new group of people who I think showed up originally to check it out and see what we were doing with the franchise, but I think stuck around for this incredible cast.
09:47 And, yeah, and that's what I'll say about that.
09:50 Okay, well, because I know you're dropping all at once versus weekly. And I'm like, is there is there a point to that? Possibly?
09:58 Possibly. I mean, I think the big point to that is it would be it would be really cool to get a really nice big audience for this last season and and and, you know, send this franchise back into the vault for a minute.
10:13 And I think that's the way it should, which is that it was the franchise that made musicals cool again. And as someone who was not cool in high school and still isn't, I'm so grateful that High School Musical came around and said to people, it's not so weird to sing and dance.
10:29 And in fact, it's beautiful. And so so no matter what I hope, I hope our audience tunes in and really feels that celebration.
10:37 Yeah, I know. And thank you so much for four incredible seasons. I cannot wait to watch it all unfold. And I'm sure hopefully we can chat, you know, once I see the ending because I have a lot of questions.
10:49 But thank you again for this incredible show. I've loved covering it so much.
10:55 Thank you so much. You've done a beautiful job. And now if you could please play All I Want by Olivia Rodrigo on that piano. We'll go out that way.
11:03 mom. She knows. Yeah, perfect. Thank you so much. Great to see
11:06 you. Thank you so much. You