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Key Points

Ashley Tisdale explains how her earnest portrayal of Sharpay’s delusional confidence made the character unforgettable. She laughs about initially misreading Sharpay’s popularity, crediting director Kenny Ortega for enhancing the humor. The actress marvels at Sharpay’s lasting meme-worthy legacy, calling her the franchise’s most iconic figure. Tisdale also reflects on her luck in voicing Candace in Phineas and Ferb alongside this defining role.

Key Points: Ashley Tisdale Reveals Why Sharpay Became High School Musical's Icon

  • Tisdale played Sharpay believing she was popular
  • Director Kenny Ortega amplified her comedic delusion
  • Sharpay lives on through memes and viral moments
  • Tisdale reflects on landing cult-favorite Disney roles
3 min read

Ashley Tisdale on what makes her 'High School Musical' character iconic

Ashley Tisdale shares how she unintentionally made Sharpay Evans iconic in High School Musical and why the character still thrives in pop culture.

"Out of everyone in High School Musical, my character is the most iconic. It’s so cool. — Ashley Tisdale"

Washington DC, June 22

Actress and singer Ashley Tisdale talked about her 'High School Musical' character and what made it iconic.

Tisdale, who played Sharpay Evans, a student with a love of theatre in the hit Disney franchise, recently shared what she thought was "so funny" about the role, reported People.

"When I played the character of Sharpay -- I think it was probably what made her so funny -- was that I truly thought [Sharpay] was the popular girl in school. I thought Sharpay was popular, and I played it like she was popular," Tisdale recalled.

"And [director] Kenny Ortega enhanced that. He made me feel like I was popular. But what's so funny is that she's not the popular girl. She's the drama queen. And my husband's like, 'That's what's so funny about how you played it. You thought you were popular,' " she continued, according to People.

The actress also shared how it feels "so cool" to see the character find new life on social media and in meme culture.

"Sharpay is -- I swear she's mother to everybody -- because it's like she just keeps coming back on these memes and people keep talking and doing the songs," she said, adding, "And I'm just like, I mean, out of everyone in High School Musical, my character is the most iconic. It's so cool."

Tisdale, who also voices Candace Flynn in the hit animated series Phineas and Ferb, said how lucky she feels to have been a part of multiple franchises that have reached cult status.

"I mean, it's so cool ... It's really awesome to be a part of these projects that have really been so prevalent in pop culture and to play these characters," she adds. "It's just, you're like, 'Dang, man.' I can't believe out of everything that I auditioned for [...] I got this animation [series] that has lasted this long. Or I was always trying to get a Disney movie, and never got the movie. And then, I got High School Musical," according to People.

"Out of all the ones, I get that. This is pretty awesome," she said, reported People.

'High School Musical' became one of the most successful Disney Channel Original movies of all time. It generated two popular sequel films, the third of which was released in theatres in 2008 and earned more than USD 250 million worldwide at the box office, per Variety.

Two sequels, High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year, were released in August 2007 and October 2008, respectively.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Priya K.
Sharpay was my absolute favorite character growing up! 😍 Her confidence and dramatic flair made her so entertaining. Even today, my friends and I still quote "Fabulous" randomly. HSM was such a big part of our childhood in India too!
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Rahul S.
Interesting how she thought Sharpay was popular when playing the role. Shows how actors' perspectives can differ from audience perception. Though I always found Troy and Gabriella more relatable as an Indian teen watching HSM.
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Ananya M.
HSM was EVERYTHING in our school days! We used to have dance competitions to "We're All in This Together" during annual functions. Sharpay's pink outfits and attitude were goals for so many of us. Nostalgia hitting hard reading this! 💖
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Vikram J.
While Sharpay was entertaining, I think the franchise's real magic was in its music and dance numbers. The songs became so popular in India that many Bollywood movies later tried to recreate that energy. HSM truly changed the game for musical entertainment.
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Sneha P.
It's amazing how these characters stay relevant through memes and social media. Sharpay's "Bop to the Top" performance still gives me goosebumps! Though I wonder if today's Indian kids would connect with HSM as much as we did - the Disney Channel era was special.
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Karan D.
Respectfully, while Sharpay was funny, I always found her character a bit too over-the-top. The real heart of HSM was in the friendship and teamwork themes. But credit to Ashley Tisdale for making Sharpay so memorable that we're still talking about her 15+ years later!

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