I absolutely adore the HSM franchise! It’s officially been 20 years since the first High School Musical movie landed on Disney Channel.

So let’s talk about some interesting knowledge linked to these epic movies that still hold a special place in the hearts of millennials everywhere.

For starters, did you know Cassie Steele was originally supposed to play Gabriella instead of Vanessa Hudgens? You might recognize Cassie from Degrassi: The Next Generation, same show Drake was on. Cassie plays Manny Santos on Degrassi.

She actually would have been great as Gabriella too, since she also has an incredible singing voice, and she sings a lot on Degrassi. But this definitely worked out the way it should have because Vanessa was undeniably perfect as Gabriella, and this is the role that put Vanessa on the map.

Cassie had already made a name for herself on Degrassi by that point. And Degrassi is actually the reason why Cassie had to drop out of High School Musical. Scheduling conflicts simply didn’t allow her to film both.

And Naya Rivera actually auditioned for the role of Gabriella as well. Naya eventually went on to land a role in Glee as an LGBTQ cheerleader named Santana Lopez.

Naya’s role was crucial for the LGBTQ community since it shed light on loving yourself and accepting yourself as you are. Naya really stepped up to the plate in Glee, and in my opinion, that was where she was meant to be. It was perfect for her.

So this truly ended up working out as it was supposed to as well. Scheduling wise, the High School Musical movies came out in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

And Glee didn’t premiere until 2009, so they’re technically wouldn’t have been a conflict there for Naya who also has a beautiful singing voice that she showcased in Glee. However, again, I really do strongly feel that Vanessa was perfectly suited for playing Gabriella.