Not many Disney Channel Original Movies have had the cultural impact that High School Musical has had. Kenny Ortega’s exuberant, tween romp practically took the world by storm and made stars of its actors. It particularly marked the rise of Zac Efron, who only had a few notable credits to his name up to that point. He wasn’t exactly the obvious choice for the lead role, but Disney cast Efron. However, amid production on the 2006 film, the House of Mouse also put him in an “incredibly awkward” position.
Author Ashley Spencer learned intriguing behind-the-scenes details about the seminal musical film while writing her new book, Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire. That included information about HSM and how Zac Efron came to play basketball player and aspiring actor Troy Bolton. Spencer spoke to casting director Natalie Hart, who explained that Efron didn’t fit the typical Hollywood mold. Yet Hart also revealed (via Page Six) a silver lining to that:
He didn’t have any of that Hollywood polish at all. It’s sort of what endeared him to us, because he was just a good guy and a lovely kid.
It’s also explained in the book, the then-17-year-old San Luis Obispo native sported floppy locks and wasn’t a singer and underwent a bit of a makeover to better fit the role. Before landing his Disney gig, he also mostly just had guest roles and small appearances in films and TV shows aside from a main cast member stint on the short-lived WB drama series Summerland. Despite all of that, given the charm that he’d eventually exude on screen, it’s easy to see why the casting directors wanted him for the role of Troy. (His boyish looks apparently even caused co-star Vanessa Hudgens to have a “meltdown” when they first read together.)
Amid the eventual production of the film, the main HSM cast – which also included young actors like Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu – recorded their vocals for the soundtrack. In an interesting turn of events, though, when the final album was released, it was revealed that Zac Efron’s material had been recorded over with a different singer. Ashley Spencer wrote about that creative decision in her book as well:
Now, Zac was the only one deemed unsuitable to fulfill his singing duties . . . [Disney had put him] in an incredibly awkward position.
That does indeed sound awkward, and the eventual Iron Claw star reportedly didn’t take it well. Adding to that is the fact that the actors “had all been cast as triple threats.” Ultimately, singer Drew Seeley (who also auditioned for Troy) was brought into the booth to record most of the vocals for Troy’s verses. While the movie ultimately turned out to be successful, one can understand why Efron may not have been too thrilled at the time.
Nevertheless, Zac Efron ultimately recorded his own lines and, as Drew Seeley explained to E! News months ago, there are no hard feelings between him and Efron. The Troy Bolton actor himself also still speaks fondly about High School Musical and even visited the real East High in 2022. During an interview conducted in early 2024, he even called the experience of making the first film “just magical.”
It's interesting to think that the Ricky Stanicky star was an unconventional choice for leading man early on and was put in a tight spot music-wise. However, it's great that he can now say he was a part of something that still resonates with so many people today.
You can stream High School Musical now using a Disney+ subscription. There are other great Disney Channel Original movies to watch on the platform as well.