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.

Ashley Tisdale made claims that Sharpay was never actually intended to be the “popular girl“ in the franchise. In June 2025, Ashley spoke with People Magazine saying, “When I played Sharpay, I think that’s probably what made her so funny. That Sharpay truly thought she was the popular girl in school. I thought Sharpay was popular and I played it like she was popular. What’s so funny is that she’s not the popular girl. She’s the drama queen.” Personally, when I watched these movies as a kid, I definitely believe Sharpay was the popular girl on campus. But if you really think about it, theater geeks are never usually considered the most popular, so Ashley‘s analysis of this makes a lot of sense to me. One thing I do strongly respect about Sharpay’s character is her ambition and the fact that she was such a go-getter who was passionate about achieving her dreams.