Although they ended last season on a high note, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is going to shake things up for the Wildcats. Rather than taking place at East High—the setting for the original movies and the first two seasons of the show—Gina, Ricky, E.J., and the gang are off to Camp Shallow Lake for a music-filled summer.
Carlos (Frankie Rodriguez, Modern Family) and Ashlyn (Julia Lester, Mom) both step out of their comfort zone and leave their boyfriends behind to embark on a new adventure, but it doesn’t mean the relationships aren’t still going strong. With the casting for Frozen up in the air, anything can happen both on and off stage once the show returns.
Screen Rant speaks with Frankie Rodriguez and Julia Lester about what to expect from their characters in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Season 3.
Screen Rant: We’re coming up on the premiere of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 3. Julia, last season we saw Ashlyn get the lead role in Beauty and the Beast. We really got to see her shine as Belle and grow and gain that confidence. So what is Season 3 going to look like for her?
Julia Lester: Wow, yeah. She’s definitely starting on the note where she left off, which is in this place of extreme comfort and gratification and she’s really found herself in the previous season. And so to take all of those qualities and throw her into a brand new environment was really exciting and fun to sort of navigate and see how she fits into this brand new world after really settling into East High and really finding herself.
I’m really excited for audiences to see where she goes from there and if, you know, if she gets shaken up a little bit.
Screen Rant: Frankie, we have Carlos, who has also had a lot of growth throughout the show. A large part of that has been because of Miss Jenn and his friends. So what’s it gonna look like when he goes to this new camp with new people? Is it going to take him out of his comfort zone a little bit?
Frankie Rodriguez: Oh, yeah. We definitely see Carlos taken out of his comfort zone. I mean, just the meaning of camp alone and being outdoors and being in a bunk with all smelly boys. I think his comfortability is definitely rattled. So we’ll get to see him kind of have to, like, come into his own in the woods.
Screen Rant: Both of your characters were in relationships when we last saw them. Of course, we have Ashlyn and Big Red, and we have Seb and Carlos. What is kind of going on with those? What’s their status given the changes of scenery this season?
Julia Lester: Yeah, I think—I don’t know if I can speak for Carlos as well, but I think Ashlyn is finding herself in a pretty codependent relationship with Big Red at the moment. And so it’s really interesting to see her leave him for an entire session of camp and see how she navigates that. And pretty immediately, as soon as we get to camp, both of us are like, “We miss our boyfriends!” So that was really fun to portray.
Frankie Rodriguez: You know, Sebbie is a working boy, and Carlos has to respect that the cows are not going to milk themselves. So, as hard as it was to not be with him, he still respects his choice.
Screen Rant: This is also the first season that’s not taking place at the high school—at the home of the Wildcats. This is taking place at the summer camp. So how is this change of scenery going to switch things up?
Frankie Rodriguez: Yeah, you know, I think Shallow Lake kind of is its own character, just like how East High is its own character, and it brings its own energy into the show. And so, it’s exciting to go to this new place, because one—it’s beautiful there. It really is like a perfect backdrop for a show. So to get to see that and kind of like see the little pockets that they’re gonna go off and like do stuff in…it’s exciting. And I think people are going to want to go to Camp Shallow Lake after this.
Julia Lester: Yeah, I think it actually changes everything. And I don’t even think that the Wildcats are expecting to have a summer of, you know, unexpected adventures. So I don’t think anybody is prepared for what goes on at Camp Shallow Lake.
HSMTMTS Season 3 Synopsis
The Wildcats head to Camp Shallow Lake, a California sleepaway camp, where they and their fellow campers are primed for an unforgettable summer ripe with romance, curfew-less nights and a taste of the great outdoors. With a high-stakes production of “Frozen” on the horizon AND a drama-filled “docu-series” of the production, the Wildcats will attempt to show who is “best in snow” without leaving anyone out in the cold.
Check out our other interviews for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series:
- Joshua Bassett & Matt Cornett
- Sofia Wylie & Dara Reneé
- Saylor Bell & Adrian Lyles
- Corbin Bleu & Jason Earles
- Tim Federle
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Season 3 premieres July 27th on Disney+.
