The second season of Disney+’s explosively popular High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is set to begin on May 14th, and fans can’t wait to see how the students of East High handle the next obstacle in their theatrical careers. Namely, that this time around, there’s some stiff competition in the musical department from North High.
This means that while last year’s Gabriella – and this year’s chart-topper – Nini (Olivia Rodrigo) is getting elite lessons at her new academy, her friends are preparing to star in Miss Jenn’s rendition of Beauty and the Beast. New romances abound, friendships may be tested, and rival students may raise the stakes, but one thing’s for sure: they’re all in this together.
Stars Dara Renee, Larry Saperstein and Julia Lester spoke to Screen Rant about how their characters are adjusting to the new set of circumstances, as well as which musical moments from the first season stood out most to them.
Dara, it’s the dawn of the age of Kourtney in season 2. What is coming her way? What vibes are we getting?
Dara Renee: Kourtney is very much serving self-love vibes, and she meets some cool people along the way. I must say, this season, you will see a lot more of Kourtney. A lot more soon, a lot more dancing, and a few other things that I cannot talk about.
But it was really fun, digging into this type of vibe for Kourtney. She gets to show vulnerability; she gets to try new things, and it really put her out of her comfort zone. And I just love it.
Also flourishing is the love between Ashlyn and Big Red. Can you both talk about what it’s like to step into the relationship and their insecurities, hopes, and fears?
Julia Lester: I’m really excited for Big Red and Ashlyn. I don’t think there’s a better person for each other to have for this first relationship, I think that there’s so much to look forward to, and they’re starting out really, really strong.
Season 2 picks up right where season 1 left off, so we’ve got a really good starting point for Big Red and Ashlyn, and they’re both really sensitive and really care about each other a lot.
If anything, they’re there to be there for each other. And I just think they’re really lovely people that have found each other, so it’s really cool to see them flourish and grow together.
Larry Saperstein: I think it is really exciting, because both characters – and all the characters really – are in a time where they’re learning about themselves and discovering things that make them excited in their passions. Both Big Red and Ashlyn bring out the best in each other, and they push each other toward their own happiness.
But it’s really wonderful how they can do that together. They kind of explore that together throughout the season, and it’s really cool getting to live in that and go on that journey with them.
Sadly, Nini is out of the picture for a little bit because of school. However, that means that Kourtney, Ashlyn and Gina get a little bit more time with each other. What is it like to develop that friendship for you ladies?
Dara Renee: This is a shout out to Julia Lester and Sofia Wylie, who is an absolutely iconic human being. It was so amazing being able to learn new things with them and see their talent flourish, and to just hang out on set with them. They’re absolutely hilarious; so funny, and I just love them so much. They’re just my babies. I love them. We’re like the Powerpuff Girls.
Julia Lester: Yeah, we found out that we were going to be paired together for a little bit in the show early on. We were really, really excited. And we had a lot of time together; that was really wonderful. It was really cool.
And I think that the dynamic of these three characters specifically is really interesting. They each bring something so wonderful to their friendship. I think there’s just a lot of really cool pairings this season that we didn’t really get to see last year, and I’m really excited for it.
Larry, Big Red is taking a creative leap, if you will, this season and we’re seeing a brand new side of him. Can you talk about exploring that as an actor, as both Larry and Big Red?
Larry Saperstein: I personally, Larry, grew up as a theater kid – always on stage, always performing. And so it was really fun in season one to play Big Red as someone that doesn’t know anything about theater, and to watch him learn about that throughout the season.
But now we’re getting to see his growth even beyond that, and now he’s really in this place where he is embracing the theater kid inside of him. He’s taking a leap, which comes with anxiety, but also a lot of growth and excitement. It was a fun journey to go on.
This season is very different because it’s not just a play that we’re putting on for ourselves, we’re on a competition level and will see your rival school. Can you talk about what it’s like for your characters to raise the stakes?
Julia Lester: Since the trailer came out, we’ve been able to touch a little bit on how we’re dealing with a rival this year, which I think is always really fun. Especially because last season dealt so heavily with our internal theater group, introducing new characters and new personalities has been really exciting. And I think fans are going to be really pumped to see how these new characters either mesh really well with us or clash with us.
As for the competition aspect of it? The competition aspect of anything is always really fun and high stakes, so there’s gonna be a lot of drama. But it was really fun to introduce that storyline.
I love how you guys learn different lessons from Miss Jenn, even though she’s a little kooky in the way she doles them out. Would you say that there’s anything that High School Musical or Miss Jenn has taught you personally as you get more out of your comfort zone?
Dara Renee: I would say I love her saying “trust the process.” Sometimes I have trouble trusting the process. I’m like, “Nu-uh, this is not looking right. Somebody help me, Lord God, please.” But she always reminds us, and so does the show, to trust the process. You’re going to be where you want to be. It just takes time, and lessons are going to be learned with each challenge, failure and success.
Julia Lester: That was really good. I can’t top that. I would say the same thing.
High School Musical obviously was an instant classic from the start, and now everywhere I go, I see things about the series all over my timeline. Were you expecting this kind of response, and what does it feel like to be launched into the stratosphere of Disney+?
Larry Saperstein: I would say it’s really cool. Because when the title of the show came out, and people didn’t know what it was, we were met with a lot of mixed responses. But then as soon as the show came out and people started to understand what we were doing, it was really exciting to see that switch and follow the fans along as they were discovering different things about us and about the show.
We’re all so proud of it, so to have people be just as proud as we are is such a great gift.
Final question: what has been your favorite musical number of season 1?
Julia Lester: Favorite musical number of season 1? “Born to be Brave.”
Larry Saperstein: Mine was “Truth, Justice and Songs in Our Key.”
Dara Renee: Mine was “Born to be Brave” and “We’re All in This Together.”
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premieres its second season May 14 through Disney+.
