‘High School Musical’ Star Monique Coleman Emotionally Reveals The Keepsake Kenny Ortega Once Gifted Her: “In That Moment, I Knew That He Saw Me”

Jan. 20, 2006 marked the start of something new for both the cast of High School Musical and the entire generation of kids who gathered in front of their TV screens to watch Disney Channel that night. In 20 years, the Kenny Ortega-directed cultural phenomenon spawned two sequel movies, a spinoff film, a 40-city concert tour, and a Disney+ spinoff series—not to mention, it also made stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Monique Coleman, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, and Ashley Tisdale household names. To celebrate two decades of the Wildcats, Coleman—who played Taylor McKessie in all three movies—stopped by DECIDER’s studio to talk about the film trilogy’s ever-lasting legacy.

High School Musical follows small-town basketball star Troy Bolton (Efron) as he and the nerdy new girl in school, Gabriella Montez (Hudgens), dip their toes in the world of musical theater, breaking the status quo by auditioning for their high school play and turning heads along the way.

“A lot of the movie musicals at that time that were really popular had a very different message. It was that you needed to change everything about yourself in order to be liked,” Coleman said. “We came, and just sort of blasted all of that out, and really showed young people that they have a voice, that they’re allowed to be included, and that they can be absolutely anything they want to be.”

All three movies were directed by Ortega, whose past film credits included Dirty Dancing, Newsies, and Hocus Pocus, to name a few. One thing Ortega always did, according to Coleman, was make everyone on set—and those watching at home—feel seen.

“When he would look at a frame, he made sure that that frame was diverse and that every young person that was looking at it could see themselves on screen all of the time,” she said.

Per Coleman—who, unlike the rest of the cast, was in her mid-20s when the movies were filmed—Ortega “didn’t really say much” to her, leading her to wonder if he actually “liked” her at one point. However, that thought quickly vanished when they were filming High School Musical 3: Senior Year and Ortega gifted the actress a meaningful keepsake.

“He stuck his hand in his pocket—I wish I had it with me—and he had this token, and he was playing with it, and he just looked at me and he handed it to me,” Coleman emotionally recalled. “He said, ‘I have directed every movie with this, and I just want you to have it.’ And he gave it to me. In that moment, I knew that he also saw me.”

During DECIDER’s chat with Coleman ahead of High School Musical’s 20th anniversary, she also spoke about how her role as Taylor helped mold the trajectory of her career, the added attention to their personal lives amid Efron and Hudgens’ relationship at the time, and whether a High School Musical reunion is on the horizon. Check out the full interview below.

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DECIDER: Monique, I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have you here today. Can you believe it’s been 20 years since High School Musical came out?

MONIQUE COLEMAN: No, I genuinely cannot believe it. It’s wild. It feels like, at most, 10 years. 

With that being said, I have 20 years worth of questions to ask you. You and your castmates are part of something that has transcended generations, that has told a much deeper story that I understand on a much deeper level now than when I was watching at six years old. What’s it like to be a part of that? And to know that you aided in teaching entire generations that it’s okay to be more than one thing?

Oh, I love that. First of all, just thank you so much for having me here. It is the fans that have allowed us to continue to have this legacy. For me, I was actually older than everyone else, and so I did have a little bit more awareness at the time about what was really happening because I was 24 years old playing 16. But it really is just so special because a lot of the movie musicals at that time that were really popular had a very different message. It was that you needed to change everything about yourself in order to be liked. Whether that be Grease, My Fair Lady, there was there was this pressure that was added in inside of entertainment at that time, and we came and just sort of blasted all of that out and really showed young people that they have a voice, that they’re allowed to be included, and that they can be absolutely anything they want to be. That, for me, led to, honestly, two decades of advocacy, because I ended up becoming the first ever United Nations Youth Champion for the International Year of Youth, and traveling to over 40 countries to empower young people. But I would never have had that opportunity if it were not for High School Musical and the platform that it gave me to stand on. 

Was there a moment, while filming the first movie, when you were like, “Oh, this is going to be big”? 

Definitely. One of the big moments was “Stick to the Status Quo.” I had a very small role inside that musical number, but I had to be there all day. As the day was going on and I was watching people standing on their heads and doing backflips and just doing things with their bodies and their voices and seeing all the different tables and that the way that the message was so baked into that particular music number of, “No, no, no, don’t stick to the stuff.” I was like, “I really think we’re doing something really special.” That and then also “We’re All In This Together.” It was such an iconic moment and watching Kenny’s brain work in real time. So many of the things that happened in that number were brought together in real time at that moment. We could feel it. Did I think it would last for 20 years? Absolutely not. But did I know that we were doing something really special that was bigger than us? Without a doubt. 

This all started with the man, the myth, the legend, Kenny Ortega. Even before High School Musical, he worked on so many iconic films like Dirty Dancing, St. Elmo’s Fire, Xanadu, Hocus Pocus. Was it intimidating to go into a project knowing he was steering the ship? Do you have any fun stories you can share about working with him?

Oh, that’s a great question. Actually, it was the opposite. Because I was older, I think that I naturally kind of gravitated towards him not as a peer by any stretch, but I could see that there was also pressure on him, not just us. So, there were several times where I would just go sit next to Kenny while he was directing, and I really sort of put myself in the position of kind of being a big sister and being a liaison between the teenagers that were on set and Kenny. He is just such a remarkable man. To watch him direct and to just be in his orbit, I was telling him today that one of my most fond memories when people ask me about Kenny is that we got to do a 40 city concert tour. When people ask, “What did Kenny tell you?” He told us to hang up our clothes and learn everybody’s name. He was like, “I can’t believe you remember that.” And I was like, “Yeah!” And he said, “I don’t even remember that. But it makes sense that I would say that because that was my grandmother.” That’s who Kenny is. Yes, it was about singing and dancing and performing, and he really did require excellence out of us. But more than being excellent in our craft, he really wanted us to be good people. I think who we became, each of us now on the other side of all of it, is really a testament to him being at the helm. So I never felt intimidated. I always felt really held, seen and supported in the process. 

This might be a bit of a niche question but I can’t tell you how many times growing up I watched that “Everyday” BTS from the second movie. I literally cry every time I watch it – and to hear Kenny talk about how the meaning of that circle at the end was so kids could see themselves in the characters and find their circle was so beautiful. What do you remember from those rehearsals and from filming that scene, in particular?

To be honest, I don’t remember much about that specific moment, but I do just remember that being a through-line in everything that he did. The fact that he wanted to make sure that KayCee [Stroh] was the lead cheerleader in a body that we had not seen represented as the head cheerleader. When he would look at a frame, he made sure that that frame was diverse and that every young person that was looking at it could see themselves on screen all of the time. I don’t remember that specific moment, because I haven’t actually seen it behind the scenes, probably since we’ve done them. But every every opportunity that he got that he got to really make sure that we felt seen [and] held, he took those opportunities. 

It was funny because I used to say, “Kenny gives everyone what they need.” But he didn’t really say much to me. By the time we got to the third movie, I remember feeling a little bit like, “Kenny does like me, right?” And one day we were standing in the hallway and he stuck his hand in his pocket–I wish I had it with me–and he had this token, and he was playing with it, and he just looked at me and he handed it to me. He said, “I have directed every movie with this, and I just want you to have it.” And he gave it to me. In that moment, I knew that he also saw me, too, and that he knew that I didn’t need the same things. I wasn’t a teenager. I didn’t need the same things that the rest of the cast did. But that moment, I knew that he saw me.

I told him earlier today that he hurt my feelings that day because he said, “You know, you’re never going to be happy just being an actress. You’re always going to want something more.” And I interpreted that at 25 to mean, “You’re not good enough to always be an actress.” But now looking at the path that I’ve taken in terms of global leadership, youth advocacy, martial arts, figure skating, now, I’ve taken on so many different paths and avenues that he was 100% right. I think that’s who Kenny is and always has been. He’s someone who can see a part of you that you may not even know is there, and then help to nurture that and bring it out and make you feel like you matter. 

I have to say, we’ve heard so many horror stories from young actors coming up in that time, so it’s so nice to hear a positive story. You can see it in all of his interviews and interactions with you guys and about you guys that he cares so much.

Just being in his presence, it’s magical. The way he speaks life over you and into you is one of those rare things. I talked to Alyson Reed about it, who plays Ms. Darbus, and she was in A Chorus Line, obviously, and so many other iconic projects. She just said to me, maybe 10 years ago, “You’re lucky if you ever get one project like this in your whole life.” It’s true. No matter what we go off and do, no matter what our lives hold, we will always have each other and we will always have this film to mark a moment in time and in history that is just transformative for an entire generation of young people, multiple generations. Because the people that grew up watching High School Musical have children now and are introducing those children to the High School Musical franchise.  

As we know, you play the driven and brilliant Taylor McKessie. How much of yourself did you incorporate into Taylor? And how much of Taylor do you still see in yourself today?

That’s such a great question. I don’t think I realized at the time how much of myself was in that character. When I look back, I’m like, “Oh, my God, girl, that’s you.” From the first rehearsal, from the first table read, I brought my notebook, color-coded with all of my colored pencils and all my highlighters, and I just thought that that was just, like, “Well, what else are you supposed to do? It’s the first day on set!” This is what we do.But she’s definitely influenced me as well as. Like I said, you know, becoming the United Nations Youth Champion. I started my own foundation called GimmeMo’ several years ago, over a decade ago, and I created a docuseries to empower young people. I know that without that association of people seeing me and seeing Taylor, that I probably wouldn’t have been able to have the reach and the impact that I was able to make if it were not for having played that character. But so much of her is in me.

When we went back and did High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, the director of that project, Tim Federle, allowed us to bring whatever we wanted to this moment because it was very meta. We were playing ourselves, but we were also playing our characters from back in the day. He said, “Is there anything that you want to say? I’m going to go to the writers room and if there’s something that is important to you – at that time, 15 years had gone by – 15 years later, what do you want to say?” That was really special because I had grown so much in the last 15 years since we wrapped the movies. I realized that I wanted to go back and say that you didn’t have to be an overachiever in order to be important, and that what you did was not as important as who you are. The fact that he gave me the opportunity to say that inside of this franchise when Taylor was such a by-the-book person, I think that was indicative of the way that we’ve integrated, and I was able to be influenced by the character, but also be able to go back and say, “Hey, my love, you sweet girl, it’s not that serious, and you’re allowed to just be light and have fun.”

Speaking of the lasting impact this movie has had, it’s funny to think of how big the Zac and Vanessa relationship was at the time. She is obviously married with babies now, but I can still name that relationship as one of the biggest IT couples of my childhood. As someone in the cast, what was it like navigating that added attention to all of your personal lives?

Well, we preceded social media and I’m so grateful for that. I really cannot imagine going through what we were going through with that kind of scrutiny. To be honest, I kind of got to slip under the radar because they were getting so much attention. At the time, there were moments that it felt better than others, but it allowed me to have a certain level of privacy, and also to be able to grow as a person behind the scenes, whereas I cannot imagine the level of attention that they were getting at the time.  Personally, I feel like they navigated it beautifully all things considered. We were all just very young. I mean, I think they were like, 17 and 18 or something like that. And I was, you know, a lot older. I also kind of adopted the big sister role on set. There was a moment where I went over and gave everybody a pep talk, and when I turned around and walked away, Corbin said, “Thanks, Mo-prah.” But I definitely had a slightly different perspective because I had already gone to college, I didn’t have parents on set with me. It was just a different experience, and so I didn’t have to go through, I think, some of the things that they went through in that regard. At the time, I think I wanted more attention. But as the time went on, I realized that it was actually a big blessing to not have it, because it allowed me to really develop some of the underdeveloped parts of me behind the scenes. 

It’s a big year for reunions. Miley Cyrus has been teasing something in the works for the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana, Camp Rock 3 is coming this summer. We’ve already gotten a Wizards of Waverly Place reboot. Are there any plans for the HSM cast to reunite for anything – whether it be a scripted project or a get-together like the 10-year reunion?

I don’t know. I really don’t know. It really is difficult to get everyone together. You’ve got so many kids between us. You’ve got marriages, you’ve got so many things. So I do know that the desire is for that to happen. We are in a group text.. 

That was my next question! Is there a group text? Is everyone on it?

Yes, we are in a group text, and I think we’re always just trying to figure that out. But we do very much still love each other. We love each other in a way, like a family, you know, a family that will always just hold a special place in each other’s hearts and support one another whenever we can. So whether that be going to each other’s weddings or watching Corbin star on Broadway. Any opportunity that we get to be supportive of one another, we definitely take it. 

Do you have a favorite High School Musical movie? Which one is it and why?

I love the third one.  Most people love the second one. Gen Z over there loves the second. I love the third one because of the nostalgia and I like the Easter eggs. If you watch the movie, there are so many moments on set or set pieces that are photographs from the first and second movie. When I’d be in Gabriella’s bedroom and I’d look on the walls, there would be a photo of us from the second movie, and I’m like, “That is so cool!” I also think that it was a moment where we felt like we were all hanging up our hats. So every single time we finished a dance number, it was sad. It was like, “No, I don’t, I don’t want this to end.” We knew that that was likely the last time we were ever going to get to do that dance number. So, for me, the third one was the most special. They go three, one, two for me.

I’d love to get into some rumors and conspiracies about High School Musical: Is it true that High School Musical was originally written as a Grease 3 movie involving Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears?

No idea. But it was originally called The Untitled High School Musical Project. While we were on set, I remember us being like, “That is so weird.” They were tossing around different names and they landed on High School Musical. And I don’t think any of us thought that that was a good idea. Obviously, Disney knows what they’re doing, and it was a brilliant idea because now throughout the end of time, people can put on a High School Musical and it’s just this iconic thing. But at the time, I was like, “Why is it just High School Musical? Can’t you come up with anything more creative?” Yeah, because I just knew so much at 24.

Kenny Ortega recently debunked the claim that Zac Efron was completely lip-synching to Drew Seeley in the first movie. 

He was not. It was definitely blended. 

Why do you think that rumor went on for so long? And are there any other misconceptions or rumors out there that you are able to clear up?

I mean, to be honest, I don’t really pay that much attention. I don’t really know. I just think that people are just fascinated and interested and that’s a lovely thing. It’s lovely for people to be interested. For me, it’s when it gets kind of into this sort of negative space that I’m like, “What’s the point?” Yeah. But no, I definitely try not to pay attention to that. 

I have to ask you about Dancing with the Stars because you ended in fourth place in the third season. The show just had a really big season – there were some odes to HSM. Kenny and Ashley were in the audience, obviously Dylan Efron was a hit. What were your thoughts? 

I saw that iconic moment that he had. I’ve just been running around so much that I haven’t really been able to watch it. But it’s so different from what it was like when I was on the show. I was on Season 3 and like you said, I did come in fourth, and I was kind of navigating the fact that I was on television playing a teenager. But then I was on this show dressed the way that I was. It was really kind of hard to be respectful. It was hard to just sort of know where to place that, because I didn’t want to lose my audience of young people and parents while also making sure that I did my best on the show. That was a really tricky thing to navigate. 

You have to come back to guest judge!

Ooo! Yes! Who do we talk to? I think that’s a good idea. Yeah!

Do you have any other projects in the works?

Well, I started adult figure skating a few years ago, and it is my deep, deep passion. Currently, I am trying to get to Milan, which is like a month away, but I really want to be at the Winter Olympics as an influencer. I want to be on the ground talking about skating. We’re talking about just winter sports in general, creating content and bringing as much attention as possible to Team USA. 

I want to end on this note: where is Taylor McKessie today?

I think Taylor is probably the head of a grassroots community organization. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

All three High School Musical movies are currently streaming on Disney+