High School Musical just celebrated it’s 15 year anniversary on Wednesday (January 20)!

The mega-hit Disney Channel musical first premiered on January 20, 2006, to massive success.

The movie spawned two sequels, a spinoff movie, and a spinoff series on Disney+, as well as a musical stage production that has been performed all across the world!

To celebrate the anniversary, some of the cast and crew opened up about the phenomenon, including before the film was made.

Casting director Natalie Hart dished on the casting process, which ultimately led to Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens being cast as Troy and Gabriella.

“When we first met Zac, we felt he had the quality of what we’d call a matinee idol. He was stunning, but he wasn’t cocky, which isn’t something you’d find in young people,” Natalie told Variety. “He had an accessibility. We knew he had the capability of being a leading man.”

Zac and Vanessa, who eventually ended up dating for years (known as Zanessa), were paired up for the final callback and Disney execs knew that there was no doubt that they were it.

“It’s easy to say in hindsight. But when they auditioned together, it was clear. It wasn’t even a close call,” Disney Channel president Gary Marsh said. “We saw the chemistry between them, and we were sold.”

Natalie even dished that Vanessa was nervous about auditioning with Zac.

“She was so smitten. She said, ‘He’s too cute. I can’t read with him.’ She had a meltdown,” she shared.

Ashley Tisdale can’t see herself doing one thing in particular with her daughter when she gets older.

The actress and producer recently opened up about whether she would watch any of her projects with her, like High School Musical.

“Personally, I don’t watch my own stuff,” Ashley told People. “Also, my husband [Christopher French] has hardly seen anything that I’m in. I think I just showed him High School Musical this year, and we’ve been married six years at this point. And that wasn’t even the full movie. I’m not someone who likes to watch myself.”

“I’m not going to be like, ‘Don’t watch it.’ I just don’t know if that’s something… ,” she added. “I look completely different. It feels like a different lifetime!”

Ashley has a few other family friendly projects that her daughter could watch – Phineas and Ferb and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody – among others.

Miley Cyrus is looking back on a cameo role she had in Disney Channel’s High School Musical 2!

The 27-year-old “Midnight Sky” singer retweeted a fan that posted the clip, but with her new single playing instead of the actual song.

“I don’t remember this scene of HSM2? @MileyCyrus @MileyOfficial,” the fan wrote, to which Miley responded, “I do”.

If you didn’t know, as fans remembered and looked back on in the replies, Disney Channel held polls before HSM2 came out, to choose which Hannah Montana star you wanted to see appear in the movie.

Miley was chosen and she appeared in the final song in the movie, “All For One,” which featured a pool party scene, and she can be seen dancing for just a few seconds.

Pictured here and in the gallery: Miley and her family attending the High School Musical 2 premiere 13 years ago, held at the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort on August 14, 2007 in Anaheim, Calif.

Lucas Grabeel is opening up about his character Ryan’s sexuality in High School Musical.

During a new interview, the 35-year-old actor said he isn’t sure if he would play Ryan today, after director Kenny Ortega recently revealed that his character was gay.

“There’s so many amazingly talented gay actors that could do it as well, so if High School Musical was made today – I don’t know if I would play Ryan,” Lucas shared with TMZ. “I would love to, but the last thing I want to do is take an opportunity away from other people.”

Lucas continued: “As a straight white man, I know that even without trying, I have taken opportunities away from other people.”

Lucas went on to recall talking to Kenny about Ryan where Kenny said that he didn’t think Disney was “ready” to have an openly gay character.

‘I came up to Kenny one day and was like, ‘Hey, so can we talk about the character for a second? Ryan’s gay, right?’” Lucas recalled. “He was like, ‘Well, I mean, it’s a touchy subject sometimes with children’s programming – I’m not sure if Disney is ready now for that kind of thing. I absolutely agree that he is and I think we have an opportunity here to showcase a real person.’”

Lucas also shared that at the time the movie was released back in 2006, gay people weren’t represented with multi-faceted characters.

“[Coming out] is something that a lot of kids go through and don’t often see portrayed on television,” Lucas said. “At that time it was either [the gay characters were] extremely flamboyant or very closeted and kind of shut off.”

“We need to start educating everyone at the youngest age possible and that’s why it will fall into the hands of Disney who create so much great programming for the developing minds of our future country,” Lucas added. “We in the film industry have a duty to educate as well as entertain.”

Ryan Evans, the flamboyant High School Musical character played by Lucas Grabeel, has always been assumed to be gay, but never really confirmed.

His sexuality has always been a topic of conversation throughout the years, and director Kenny Ortega recently dished on when Ryan would have come out.

“The character of Ryan in High School Musical, Sharpay’s twin brother, we decided he’d probably going to come out in college. It was less about coming out and just more about letting his true colors come forward,” Kenny told Variety.

“I have to be honest with you. I didn’t think at the time — and Disney is the most progressive group of people I’ve ever worked with,” he continued. “I was concerned because it was family and kids, that Disney might not be ready to cross that line and move into that territory yet. So, I just took it upon myself to make choices that I felt that those who were watching would grab. They would see it, they would feel it, they would know it and they would identify with it. And that is what happened.”

“I have to say thousands of kids that have said, ‘If it weren’t for High School Musical, I don’t know that I would have ever been comfortable in my skin. I don’t know when I would have been able to feel comfortable enough to come out, embrace who I am,’” Kenny added.

Disney had eventually, years later, crossed that line when Andi Mack character Cyrus came out to his friends.

Vanessa Hudgens loves a good throwback and we’re very thankful for that because she keeps gifting us with throwbacks to High School Musical!

It has been over a decade since Vanessa starred in the Disney Channel original movie, but her song “Breaking Free” is still iconic and she just sang a duet with Broadway actor Max Clayton while in quarantine.

The two actors met while starring in the Broadway musical Gigi together and Max explained in the video that he actually played Troy Bolton in his high school’s production High School Musical back in the day!

“Hey guys! So a few days ago I posted a video of me singing ‘Breaking Free,’ and my friend Max Clayton decided he wanted to participate. So we did a duet! Hope you like it!” Vanessa wrote on YouTube.

Vanessa and Max also performed the song “Gotta Go My Own Way” a couple weeks ago.

Vanessa Hudgens is having a High School Musical moment!

The 31-year-old actress brought on the nostalgia by performing “Gotta Go My Own Way” with her Gigi co-star on Broadway, Max Clayton on Saturday (April 18).

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Vanessa Hudgens

“Soooo @maxmclayton made his side so we could duet together. This ones for you Hsm fans. I’m on an Hsm kick. Loool,” she captioned the video – and she sounds fantastic!

The song is originally from 2007′s High School Musical 2, and is sung between Gabriella (Hudgens) and Troy (Zac Efron).

She recently collaborated with a High School Musical co-star for this memorable moment!

Watch Vanessa Hudgens and Max Clayton perform the classic…