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00:00You guys, we are fulfilling my childhood dreams today
00:02because we have Monique Coleman from High School Musical
00:06here for the 20th anniversary of High School Musical.
00:09Can you believe it's been 20 years since that movie came out?
00:11No, I really, I genuinely cannot believe it.
00:14It's wild. It feels like at most 10 years.
00:16I have 20 years worth of questions to ask you.
00:19You and your castmates, you're part of something that is just,
00:22it's transcended generations and it's told a much deeper story
00:26that I think as an adult I'm understanding on a deeper level
00:29than when I was six years old and watching it for the first time.
00:32What is it like to be a part of something like that?
00:34And I know that you aided in, you know, teaching an entire generation,
00:37entire generations that it's okay to be more than one thing.
00:41Oh, I love that.
00:43Well, first of all, just thank you so much for having me here.
00:46It is the fans that have allowed us to continue to have this legacy.
00:51And for me, it's on so many levels.
00:53I was actually older than everyone else.
00:55And so I did have a little bit more awareness at the time
00:59about what was really happening because I was 24 years old, Duke playing 16.
01:04Oh, my God.
01:05But it really is just so special because a lot of the movie musicals at that time
01:10that were really popular had a very different message.
01:13It was that you needed to change everything about yourself in order to be liked,
01:17whether that be Grease, My Fair Lady.
01:19You know, there was this pressure that was added inside of entertainment at that time.
01:25And we came and just sort of blasted all of that out
01:28and really showed young people that they have a voice,
01:31that they're allowed to be included,
01:33and that they can be absolutely anything they want to be.
01:36And that, for me, led to honestly two decades of advocacy
01:40because I ended up becoming the first ever United Nations Youth Champion
01:45for the International Year of Youth
01:46and traveling to over 40 countries to empower young people.
01:50But I would never have had that opportunity
01:52if it were not for High School Musical
01:54and the platform that it gave me to stand on.
01:56Was there a moment when you were filming the first movie
01:58that you were like, hmm, this is going to be big?
02:01Definitely.
02:02There was...
02:03One of the big moments was stick to the status quo.
02:05I was...
02:07I had a very small role inside that musical number,
02:10but I had to be there all day.
02:11And as the day was going on
02:13and I was watching, you know,
02:15people standing on their heads and doing backflips
02:18and just doing things with their bodies and their voices
02:21and seeing all the different tables
02:23and the way that the message was so baked into
02:27that particular music number of, you know,
02:29no, no, no, you know, don't stick to the stuff you know.
02:33Like, that, for me, I was like,
02:35I really think we're doing something really special.
02:38That and then also we're all in this together.
02:40Of course.
02:40It was such an iconic moment
02:41and watching Kenny's brain work in real time,
02:45so many of the things that happened in that number
02:47were brought together in real time at that moment.
02:52And, yeah, I just...
02:53We could feel it.
02:54Did I think it would last for 20 years?
02:56Absolutely not.
02:57But did I know that we were doing something really special
02:59that was bigger than us?
03:01Without a doubt.
03:01You said his name, the man, the myth, the legend.
03:03Kenny Ortega, it all started with him.
03:05Even before High School Musical and Icon,
03:08he did Dirty Dancing, Hocus Pocus,
03:10St. Elmo's Fires, Xanadu.
03:11Was it intimidating to go into this project
03:14knowing that he was steering the ship?
03:15And do you have any fun stories you can share
03:17about working with him?
03:18Oh, that's a great question.
03:19Actually, it was the opposite.
03:21Because I was older,
03:22I think that I naturally kind of gravitated towards him
03:26more in, like, not as a peer by any stretch,
03:31but I could see that there was also pressure on him,
03:34not just us.
03:35And so there were several times
03:37where I would just go sit next to Kenny
03:38while he was directing.
03:40And I really sort of put myself in the position
03:44of kind of being big sister
03:46and being a liaison between, like,
03:48the teenagers that were on set and Kenny.
03:50And, you know, he is just such a remarkable man.
03:54And to watch him direct
03:55and to just be in his orbit,
03:58I was telling him today
03:59that one of my most fond memories
04:00when people ask me about Kenny
04:02is that we got to do a 40-city concert tour, right?
04:06And when people ask, you know,
04:07what did Kenny tell you?
04:10He told us to hang up our clothes
04:12and learn everybody's name.
04:15And he was like,
04:15I can't believe you remembered that.
04:17And I was like, yeah.
04:18And he said, I don't even remember that,
04:19but it makes sense that I would say that
04:21because that was my grandmother.
04:22And that's who Kenny is,
04:24is that, yes, it was about, you know,
04:26singing and dancing and performing.
04:28And he really did require excellence out of us.
04:31But more than being excellent in our craft,
04:34he really wanted us to be good people.
04:37And I think who we became, each of us,
04:39now on the other side of all of it,
04:41is really a testament to him being at the helm.
04:44So I never felt intimidated.
04:46I always felt really held, seen,
04:49and supported in the process.
04:50And maybe this is kind of niche,
04:52but specifically with the everyday
04:54behind-the-scenes video.
04:55Oh, my goodness.
04:55And I remember Kenny saying something like,
04:58you know, you're all coming into this circle.
04:59Kids are gonna see themselves in you guys
05:01and find their circle.
05:03What do you remember about that rehearsal
05:04and that whole moment coming together?
05:06I don't, to be honest,
05:07I don't remember much about that specific moment.
05:10But I do just remember that being a through line
05:12in everything that he did.
05:13The fact that he wanted to make sure
05:16that Casey was the lead cheerleader
05:18in a body that we had not seen represented
05:21as the head cheerleader.
05:23When he would look at a frame,
05:25he made sure that that frame was diverse
05:28and that every young person that was looking at it
05:31could see themselves on screen all of the time.
05:34You know, it was funny because he,
05:36I used to say,
05:37Kenny gives everyone what they need.
05:38But he didn't really, like, say much to me.
05:41And by the time we got to the third movie,
05:43I remember feeling a little bit like,
05:45Kenny does like me, right?
05:47And one day we were standing in the hallway
05:49and he stuck his hand in his pocket
05:50and I wish I had it with me.
05:51And he had this token and he was playing with it
05:55and he just looked at me and he handed it to me.
05:58Oh, and he said,
05:59I have directed every movie with this
06:01and I just want you to have it.
06:03And he gave it to me.
06:04And in that moment,
06:06I knew that he also saw me too, you know,
06:08and that he knew that I didn't need the same things.
06:10I wasn't a teenager.
06:11I didn't need the same things
06:12that the rest of the cast did.
06:14But in that moment,
06:15I knew that he saw me.
06:17I've taken on so many different,
06:19just so many different paths and avenues
06:21that he was 100% right.
06:23And I think that's who Kenny is
06:25and always has been.
06:26He's someone who can see a part of you
06:29that you may not even know is there
06:31and then help to nurture that
06:33and bring it out
06:33and make you feel like you matter.
06:36Yeah.
06:36Just being in his presence,
06:37like it really is just like,
06:39it's magical.
06:40The way he speaks life over you
06:42and into you is,
06:44it's just,
06:45it's one of those rare things.
06:48I talked to Alison Reed about it
06:49who plays Miss Darvis
06:50and, you know,
06:51she was in Chorus Line, obviously,
06:53and so many other iconic projects.
06:55And she just said to me,
06:56like many,
06:57like maybe 10 years ago,
06:58you're lucky
06:59if you ever get one project like this
07:01in your whole life.
07:02And it's true.
07:03No matter what we go off and do,
07:05no matter what our lives hold,
07:07we will always have each other
07:10and we will always have this film
07:11to mark a moment in time
07:13and in history
07:14that is just like transformative
07:17for an entire generation
07:19of young people,
07:20multiple generations,
07:21because the people
07:22that grew up watching
07:23High School Musical
07:23have children now
07:25and are introducing those children
07:26to the High School Musical franchise.
07:28Well, I do want to talk
07:29about your character,
07:30Taylor McKessie,
07:31the brilliant, driven, smart.
07:33How much of yourself
07:34did you incorporate into Taylor
07:36and how much of Taylor
07:37do you still see in yourself today?
07:39That's such a great question.
07:40I don't think I realized
07:42at the time
07:43that how much of myself
07:45was in that character.
07:47When I look back,
07:48I'm like,
07:48oh my God, girl,
07:48that's you.
07:50I mean,
07:50from the first rehearsal,
07:52like from the first table read,
07:54I brought my notebook color-coded
07:56with all of my colored pencils
07:58and I was in all my highlighters
08:01and I just thought
08:02that that was just,
08:03you know,
08:03like,
08:04well,
08:04what else are you supposed to do?
08:05You know what I mean?
08:06It's the first day on set.
08:07This is what we do.
08:08But she's definitely influenced me as well.
08:11Like I said,
08:12you know,
08:13becoming the United Nations Youth Champion.
08:15I started my own foundation
08:16called Gimme Mo
08:17several years ago,
08:19over a decade ago,
08:20and I created a docu-series
08:22to empower young people
08:24and I know that
08:26without that association
08:27of people seeing me
08:29and seeing Taylor,
08:30that I probably wouldn't have been able
08:31to have the reach
08:33and the impact
08:34that I was able to make.
08:36I realized that
08:37I wanted to go back
08:38and say
08:39that you didn't have to be
08:40an overachiever
08:41in order to be important
08:42and that what you did
08:44was not as important
08:45as who you are
08:46and the fact
08:47that he gave me the opportunity
08:48to say that
08:50inside of this franchise
08:52when Taylor was such a
08:54by-the-book sort of person,
08:58I think that was indicative
08:59of the way that we've integrated
09:01and I was able to be influenced
09:03by the character
09:04but also be able to go back
09:06and say,
09:07hey, my love,
09:08you sweet girl,
09:09it's not that serious
09:10and you're allowed to just be light
09:13and have fun.
09:13Speaking of the lasting impact
09:16this movie had,
09:17it's funny to think
09:18of how big the whole
09:19Zach and Vanessa relationship
09:21thing was at the time.
09:22She's obviously married
09:23with kids now
09:24and far past it.
09:26What was it like
09:27to navigate that added attention
09:29to all of your personal lives?
09:31Well, we preceded social media
09:34and I'm so grateful for that.
09:37I really cannot imagine
09:39going through
09:40what we were going through
09:41with that kind of scrutiny
09:43and to be honest,
09:44I kind of got to slip
09:46under the radar
09:46because they were getting
09:48so much attention.
09:49It allowed me to have
09:50a certain level of privacy
09:51and also to be able
09:54to grow as a person
09:56behind the scenes
09:57whereas I cannot imagine
09:58the level of attention
10:00that they were getting
10:02at the time.
10:03There was a moment
10:03where I went over
10:04and gave everybody
10:05a pep talk
10:06and when I turned around
10:06and walked away,
10:08Corbin said,
10:08thanks, Mopra.
10:11I was like, meh.
10:13But I definitely
10:14had a slightly different
10:15perspective because
10:16I had already gone to college.
10:18I didn't have parents
10:19on set with me.
10:20It was just a different experience
10:22and so I didn't have to go through,
10:25I think, some of the things
10:26that they went through
10:27in that regard.
10:28And at the time,
10:29I think I wanted more attention
10:30but as the time went on,
10:33I realized that it was
10:34actually a big blessing
10:35to not have it
10:37because it allowed me
10:38to really develop
10:39some of the underdeveloped
10:40parts of me
10:41behind the scenes.
10:42It's a big year
10:43for reunions.
10:44Miley Cyrus has been
10:45teasing Hannah Montana.
10:47I know we have
10:47Camp Rock 3 coming out.
10:48Wizards of Waverly Place
10:49is already back
10:50for two seasons.
10:52Are there any plans
10:53for the High School Musical
10:54cast to reunite
10:55in any capacity
10:55whether it's a scripted project
10:57or even like you guys did
10:58for the 10-year anniversary
10:59where you just got together?
11:01I don't know.
11:05No, but I really don't know
11:06because people, there's,
11:08you know, it really is difficult
11:09to get everyone together.
11:10You know, you've got
11:11so many kids between us.
11:13You've got marriages.
11:14You've got so many things.
11:16So I do know that the desire
11:19is for that to happen.
11:21We are in a group text.
11:23I was going to ask,
11:24that was my next question.
11:25Is there a group text?
11:25Everybody's on it.
11:26Yes, there's a group text.
11:27We are in a group text
11:28and I think we're always
11:29just trying to figure that out.
11:30But we do very much
11:32still love each other
11:33and, but we love each other
11:36in the way, like a family,
11:37like a, you know,
11:37a family that, that will always
11:41just hold a special place
11:42in each other's hearts
11:43and support one another
11:45whenever we can.
11:45So whether that be, you know,
11:47going to each other's weddings
11:48or, you know, watching Corbin
11:50star on Broadway,
11:52like any opportunity
11:53that we get to be supportive
11:55of one another,
11:56we definitely take it.
11:57I'm wondering,
11:58do you have a favorite
11:59high school musical movie?
12:00I love the third one.
12:01Okay.
12:02Most people love the second one.
12:03Ginzy over there.
12:05Love the second one.
12:07I love the third one
12:09because of the nostalgia.
12:11I like, and I like the Easter eggs.
12:13Like if you watch the movie,
12:14there are so many like moments
12:17on set or set pieces
12:19that are photographs
12:20from the first and second movie.
12:22Like, so when I'd be in Vanessa's
12:24or, you know, Gabriela's bedroom
12:26and I'd look on the walls,
12:28there would be a photo of us
12:29from the second movie.
12:31And I'm like, that is so cool.
12:33And I also think that it was a moment
12:35where we felt like
12:35we were all hanging up our hats.
12:37So every single time
12:39we finished a dance number,
12:41it was sad.
12:42Like, it was like,
12:43no, I don't want this to end.
12:45I want to,
12:45we knew that that was likely
12:47the last time we were ever going
12:49to get to do that dance number.
12:50So for me,
12:51the third one was the most special.
12:53They go 3-1-2 for me.
12:55Is it true that High School Musical
12:56was originally written
12:58as a Grease 3 movie
13:00involving Justin Timberlake
13:01and Britney Spears?
13:02No idea.
13:03No idea.
13:04But it was originally called
13:05The Untitled High School Musical Project.
13:07Oh, interesting.
13:08And while we were on set,
13:09we were,
13:09I remember us being like,
13:11that is so weird.
13:12Like, they're going to call the movie,
13:14because it was like,
13:14they were tossing around
13:15different names
13:16and they landed on High School Musical.
13:19And I don't think anyone
13:20thought that that was a good idea.
13:21Any of us thought
13:22that was a good idea.
13:24Obviously, Disney knows
13:25what they're doing.
13:26And it was a brilliant idea
13:28because now,
13:29throughout the end of time,
13:30people can put on
13:31a High School Musical
13:32and it's just like
13:33this iconic thing.
13:34But at the time,
13:35I was like,
13:36why is it just
13:36High School Musical?
13:38That is just like,
13:39can't you come up
13:39with anything more creative?
13:40Yeah.
13:41Because I just knew
13:42so much at 24.
13:43Do you have any other
13:44projects in the works?
13:45I know you're super busy.
13:46You have so much going on
13:46at all times.
13:47Is there anything you can tease
13:48about what's next?
13:49Sure.
13:49Well, I started
13:50adult figure skating
13:51a few years ago.
13:52And it is my
13:53deep, deep passion.
13:55And currently,
13:56I am trying to get to Milan,
13:58which is like a month away,
14:00but I really want to be
14:01at the Winter Olympics
14:01as an influencer.
14:02I want to be on the ground
14:04talking about skating,
14:05talking about just winter
14:06sports in general,
14:07creating content,
14:09and bringing as much attention
14:10as possible to Team USA.
14:12Oh, my God.
14:12So that's the dream.
14:13Keep our eye out for you.
14:14That's amazing.
14:15That's so cool.
14:16One last quick question
14:17for you.
14:17Where do you think
14:18Taylor McKessie is today?
14:19I think Taylor is probably
14:22the head of a grassroots
14:24community organization.
14:25Mm-hmm.
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