High School Musical star Monique Coleman, who portrayed Taylor McKessie in the film series, speaks out on battling depression following Disney's treatment of her during the High School Musical 3 press tour. High School Musical has become Disney Channel's most famous original franchise, with every movie surpassing the one that came before. High School Musical 2 is the most watched Disney Channel premiere of all-time, and High School Musical 3 even received a theatrical release, becoming a box office success to cap off the trilogy.
Talking on the Vulnerable podcast, Coleman revealed that she experienced a bout of depression after being mistreated by Disney during the press tour for High School Musical 3. Coleman told host Christy Carlson Romano about how Disney made up one of the worst possible excuses to exclude her from the HSM 3 promo tour, by saying there wasn't enough room on the plane for her. Coleman was deeply hurt by the ordeal and that caused the actress to fall into depression. Check out the full quote below:
"They said something about there not being enough room on the plane. That heart break really hit me very deeply. And did cause a bit of a depression."
Could High School Musical 4 Happen?
High School Musical was led by Zac Efron's charming performance as Troy Bolton, a young man who couldn't decide between his passion for basketball and theater. Efron expressed interest in a High School Musical reboot, but nothing has materialized yet. Initial talks about a High School Musical 4 started in 2009, but the movie stayed dormant until a 2016 attempt at bringing the idea to fruition. The project entered active development and even started its casting for roles that would've pitted a new class of East High Wildcats against their school rivals, the West High Knights. The movie never came to be, but aspects of it made their way to a Disney+ series years later.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premiered in 2019 and gathered a huge fan following anchored by stars Joshua Bassett and Olivia Rodrigo. Season 4 of the series has been announced to include the return of stars from High School Musical, poising the season to serve similarly to what a fourth movie reunion could have been – albeit with the show's different format taken into account. HSM actors Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel and Bart Johnson all return for HSMTMTS season 4 playing versions of themselves.
Why The Disney+ HSM Series Is The Perfect Legacy Sequel
Disney+'s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is an example of what every legacy series should be. The HSM inspired show is set at a fictionalized version of East High School, the school where the movie trilogy was filmed. The series follows a new class of Wildcats as they stage a production of High School Musical at the school. By taking this approach, the series escapes complaints about it being a sequel in the world of the movies without characters like Troy and Gabriella. The new cast proved itself endearing, with Bassett, and specially Rodrigo, becoming popular players at the music industry as well. The idea to go for a mockumentary format with the show, while setting it within the HSM school also helped breath fresh air into the franchise while keeping the High School Musical nostalgia alive in every episode.
Source: Vulnerable