High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star Joshua Bassett reveals that he was almost cast in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. An actor, singer, and songwriter, Bassett is known for portraying Ricky Bowen in the Disney+ spinoff of the High School Musical franchise. The show, created by Tim Federle, focuses on a group of teenagers who participate in a stage play of High School Musical for their school.
In High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 2, which will premiere on May 14, the students will face off against a rival school and perform a version of Beauty and the Beast. While many fans are excited to see how it all unfolds, including the continuation of the relationship between Ricky and Nini (Olivia Rodrigo), the actor recently reflected on how he could have ended up on another teen show.
As part of a video feature for Buzzfeed Celeb to promote the release of his self-titled EP, Bassett was asked if there was any role that he wanted but didn’t get. In his response, the actor admitted that there were a few examples he could cite. Bassett ultimately mentions the fact that he was almost cast in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as Harvey Kinkle, a role which eventually went to Ross Lynch. You can read Bassett’s quote below:
“I mean, I started coming out to LA when I was about 16. I mean, there were a handful of roles. I was really close to the role in Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It was down to me and Ross Lynch. And he got it, I’m super happy for him. But yeah, I was definitely, like, really hoping for that one. There’s a couple others. But thath one, I guess, stands out to the one where… I was like, I got really close. And I was really excited about it. And it just didn’t work out. But, ultimately, everything worked out.”
It’s not surprising that Bassett would be in contention for the part of Harvey. As depicted in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, at least initially, the character is quite similar to his counterpart in the Archie Comics. He’s portrayed as being friendly, sensitive, and insecure. Harvey is also quite willing to make the risky decision to help his friends when needed. While it’s true that Harvey is not perfectly compatible to Ricky, who is perhaps more outgoing, the two characters have enough in common that it makes for Bassett to have made it far in the audition process. It’s the sort of kindhearted, amiable portrayal that has earned the actor a lot of fans since the High School Musical series debuted.
It would have been interesting to think of how Bassett’s career might’ve changed if he landed the part of Harvey. Instead of now embarking on the sophomore season of a hit show, Bassett would have already starred in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina finale. And, on a far more personal level, it’s possible that Bassett would have avoided all of the intense interest in his personal life that comes with being a high-profile Disney teen idol. But, in the same vein, that intense interest has also led to a lot of positive feedback for the star of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. On the whole, Bassett is right that things worked out quite well in the end.
