Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale - where are the cast of High School Musical now as TikTok trend goes viral

If you're in your 20s or younger, High School Musical probably played a massive role in your childhood. Whether it fueled your passion for singing, sport, helped you profess your love to your school crush, or just made you wish you attended a school where it was all going on, there was something for everyone in the film series. The first film landed all the way back in 2006 - yes, really - and was quickly followed by another two - with the third and final film being released in cinemas. The first two were shown on the Disney Channel.

The series has recently been trending online thanks to a TikTok trend where fans are recreating the iconic scene of Troy Bolton singing 'Scream'. Zac Efron and co formed the basis of 'cool' for many teens and pre-teens at the time, but what have they been up to since? NationalWorld takes a closer look.

Zac Efron (Troy Bolton)

Before Justin Bieber rocked that (awful) mop-headed haircut, there was Troy Bolton. The Disney Channel movie was undoubtedly his breakout role and landed him on the scene as a heartthrob. His career since hasn't fizzled either. His roles since have included the movie adaptation of Hairspray (2007), The Greatest Showman (2017), Baywatch (2017) and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019), where he played Ted Bundy.

In 2020, it was announced that Efron was set to return to Disney with a reboot of Three Men and a Baby, slated to debut on Disney+. He received a Daytime Emmy Award in 2021 for outstanding daytime program host for the Netflix travel docuseries Down to Earth with Zac Efron where he looks at environmental issues close to his heart. His latest role will see him portray former pro wrestler Kevin Von Erich in the upcoming drama The Iron Claw.

Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella Montez)

Hudgens has kept busy since her High School Musical days. She has released two albums — 'V' (2006) and 'Identified' (2008) — and has acted on both TV and in movies. She has also become the star of Netflix holiday films such as The Princess Switch franchise (2018–2021), The Knight Before Christmas (2019), and 2021's Tick, Tick... Boom alongside Andrew Garfield.

Hudgens dated her High School Musical co-star Efron from 2006 to 2010. After their split, she dated Elvis star Austin Butler from 2011 to 2020. She is currently engaged to MLB player Cole Tucker.

Corbin Bleu (Chad Danforth)

Since High School Musical, Bleu has gone on to star in a number of Broadway productions such as In the Heights (2010), Godspell (2012) and Holiday Inn (2016). Bleu also showed off his dance moves on Dancing with the Stars in 2013, where he made it to the finale and finished second.

In 2022, Bleu made an emotional return and special appearance in Disney+'s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. The actor has been married to actress Sasha Clements since 2016.

Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay Evans)

Before High School Musical, Tisdale had already been acting on Disney Channel in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

Following the movie's release, Tisdale continued to act on Suite Life until 2008 and lent her voice to Phineas and Ferb from 2007 to 2015. She has voiced many characters on animated shows like Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch, American Dad, Ginger Snaps and more.

Her role as Sharpay earned her a spin-off movie, Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure (2011). Tisdale has also released three albums and launched her own beauty brand, Illuminate Cosmetics. In 2014, she married musician Christopher French. They had their first child, Jupiter Iris, in 2021.

Lucas Grabeel (Ryan Evans)

Grabeel's role as Sharpay's brother may have been an annoying character, but it didn't slow down his career.

Since the final HSM film's release, Grabeel has continued to act and starred in Freeform's Switched at Birth. He also voices animated characters on shows like Family Guy, Pinky Malinky and Elena of Avalor.

He's one of the few original cast members who made an appearance on the Disney+ show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. In a clip from the first episode of the fourth and final season of the show, Ryan's sexuality was finally confirmed as the character was seen kissing another man.

Monique Coleman (Taylor McKessie)

Coleman's impact after High School Musical is one that extends beyond showbiz. She also competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2006, and finished fourth. Coleman continues to act, though her most important role is one of advocacy. In her Instagram bio, she calls herself a "Champion for Youth." In 2010, she was named the UN's first-ever Youth Champion.

She founded Gimme Mo, an organization that seeks to empower youth to make changes in the world. In 2021, Coleman had a reunion of sorts with Corbin Bleu when they co-starred in the Lifetime holiday film A Christmas Dance Reunion. In 2022, it was announced that she would appear in the final season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.