Preview: High School Musical 2
By A A on July 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment
n High School Musical 2, Kaycee Stroh and Chris Warren Jr. reprise their roles as loyal members of the East High posse. Stroh plays Martha, the brainy girl who likes to “pop and lock,” while Warren Jr. plays Zeke, a basketball star with a passion for cooking. The pair recently talked to Tribute about their characters, their success and being part of the massive High School Musical phenomenon.
Why do you think High School Musical has become so popular?
Stroh: I think it’s popular because so many people of all different ages can relate to it. There was one of us in every high school, like our quirky characters, and I think the kids are ready for positive influences in their lives.
Warren: I think so many things now are based around the wrong images for younger people and I think it’s good just to have something that’s all around positive. I think that’s why it’s so popular, because it’s just so pure and genuine.
How has it changed your everyday lives?
Warren: I’ve been acting since I was five, so I’m used to the acting part, but of course the recognition and being part of such a huge phenomenon is great for your career.
Stroh: For me, when this all started I was a dance teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah and this has changed my life. I moved to LA and have a manager and an agent. It’s opened so many doors for me. To get recognized everywhere and have these great fans who look up to you, those are the moments when you sit down and think, “this is what it’s all about.”
What was it like making the second movie compared to the first?
Warren: We all knew each other so it made it more genuine that we actually were friends. We had camera crews there the whole time and we were under surveillance all the time.
Stroh: It was like a reality show and that was different because with the first movie nobody knew us, no one knew what to expect, and with the second we were established and everyone was always watching.
Was there a certain scene or song that was the most fun or your favorite?
Stroh: I think “All for One” for me. It was just a magical moment. There were about 200 background artists there and everyone wanted to be there so bad.
Warren: We were all on point. It was really great.
Everyone is buzzing about a third movie. Will you be a part of that?
Warren: I heard it’s a Ghostbusters spin-off, that’s what I heard. (Laughs)
Stroh: Right now we’re in negotiations but it will definitely be a feature film and senior year, and that’s pretty much all we know for right now.
Warren: We can’t really talk about it.
Stroh: If we did, we’d have to kill you. (laughs)
Both of your characters have passions for things that are somewhat unexpected (Martha likes hip hop and Zeke loves cooking). Do either of you have any unexpected passions?
Stroh: I love four-wheeling, actually. I’m such a girly girl but I also love four-wheeling. My first car was a big lifted Jeep with mud tires.
Warren: For whatever reason, I like go-carting and putt-putt—like an eight year old, I don’t know why. Every town we go to, I’m like, do they have go-carts and do they have putt-putt? Usually my dad reminds me.
Chris, your parents are both actors. Did they encourage you towards acting?
Warren: It just runs in the family. I guess, because I just see them doing so it was what I wanted to do. They didn’t influence me to do it, they let me do whatever I wanted and I kind of just fell into it.
Kaycee, you started out as a dance instructor. How did you end up auditioning?
Stroh: I’ve got the Cinderella story. I’ve been very blessed. When I was five, I told my family that I wanted to be a famous triple-threat and they were like, “oh that’s really cute, that’s a cute dream.” As I went on, I went into dance and in fourth grade I auditioned for a play and then I knew I wasn’t just going to be a dancer, but that I wanted to sing and act.
Now that you’re in these role model positions are you more conscious of the way you act?
Stroh: It’s not really that hard for us. We don’t really have to try, we’re into our craft, we’re into what we love and we’re here for our careers. We’re not here to party and play around.
Warren: And do crazy things so we are in the tabloids.
Stoh: We would rather be respected for our talents.
Warren: And be role models.
What’s your most memorable fan moment?
Stroh: Oh Gosh, I’ve had a couple quirky ones! (laughs) I had someone stalk me in the bathroom. It was awkward and they were shoving stuff under the door saying, “Sign this?” (Laughs) There are some things in life that are sacred!
Warren: For me, my agent called me and said Monique (Coleman who plays Taylor in the film) called the agency and wants your phone number, and I was like “I’m pretty sure Monique has my phone number but okay, just have her call me.” So I get the call and in a raspy voice someone says, “Hey, this is Monique” and I was like, “What’s wrong with her voice?” So they call her back and we don’t get an answer and it’s on my dad’s phone and then he gets 20 messages, saying, “Hey it’s Monique, call me back.” I didn’t think it was her. It was this little five-year-old girl that got the number and she called in the wee hours of the night, leaving hundreds of messages, and I thought this has got to stop.
Stroh: There’s even stalkers and crazy stuff like that.
Warren: Like in New York when those guys were staying outside the hotel saying, “Sign this for us!”
You guys also have people impersonating you on Myspace.
Stroh: It makes me sad because I’d so much rather have great fans that would do a fan site instead of pretending to be me because they put information that is wrong and they talk to people as us.
Warren: But not as us, as the character. Have you seen those?
Stroh: Yeah, there are some people that play our characters and there are some people that answer kids’ questions as us and then swear at people.
So is your character Zeke ever going to get the girl (Sharpay)? What do you think is going to happen?
Warren: I know Sharpay wants me! (laughs) But I don’t know. There are a couple of people in line, so we’ll see what happens.
Stroh: Hopefully that’ll work out for you, buddy.
So what are your plans after the movie?
Stroh: After High School Musical, I think it’s time to do some serious acting, maybe some drama. I’d like to record an album.
Warren: I’m definitely going to go into film and a lot of dramatic stuff because I’ve had different offers. But I’m still excited for High School Musical.
Stroh: Absolutely, we love it. I just think we’ve showed that we can be great comedians and I think it’s time to prove ourselves.
Warren: To break out.
Stroh: Yeah, as serious actors as well.
Have you had a chance to do other projects between the movies?
Stroh: I’ve done two episodes of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, which has been really fun playing a really quirky character named Leslie who is very opposite of my character Martha Cox—Martha’s very intelligent and Leslie’s kind of like a puppy.
What do you do in your down time?
Warren: When I’m not doing school and football, and all this crazy stuff, I like to relax and hang out with my friends and be able to actually sit down and chill and not be flying somewhere.
Stroh: I would say every chance I get I try to fly home to see my family in Salt Lake City. I have a niece and nephew and I just want to be a part of my family’s life. We’re a really close family. But if I don’t have time to fly home I will watch movies because it’s that passion, it’s what we do and I look at it as a director and as an actor, it’s like studying for us but it’s also fun.
Any favorites?
Warren: Anchorman is always a good one.
Stroh: (to Chris) You like 300.
Warren: As a guy, it’s just natural to like that. August Rush, have you seen that yet? It’s really good.
Any musicals?
Stroh: I love musicals. Those are the sick day movies.
Warren: I love Grease, it’s basically High School Musical in a nutshell (Laughs). I always loved Annie, but I never saw it, I did the play when I was seven.
Stroh: The Wizard of Oz is a classic. That was the first role I ever played. I played Dorothy and that’s when I was like, “Sold! I can do all three things, dancing singing and acting!” I was happy.
If you could decide the future of your High School Musical character for the next movie, what would you want to happen?
Stroh: I would give Martha a love interest. She needs a love interest.
Warren: I would definitely expand the relationship with Sharpay and maybe establish that instead of me chasing her the whole time. And then, maybe go into Zeke’s personal life and to go into what we’re going through with scholarships and basketball and what my parents think of me baking, if my dad doesn’t like it or whatever else.
Stroh: There’s so much to play off of with our characters and I think that I’ve gotten so many e-mails from fans saying, they’d love to see more of the four (Zeke, Martha, Kelsi and Jason) and into their lives.
Tribute magazine recently talked to Olesya Rulin and Ryne Sanborn, stars of the popular High School Musical 2 about what it’s like to be a part of the hottest musical out there. Rulin, who plays the quirky composer Kelsi, and Ryne Sanborn, who plays the dim-witted jock named Jason, dish about terrifying summer job experiences and what we can expect from the third movie.
— By Sadiya Dendar
Did you ever imagine High School Musical would become so big?
Sanborn: Never. I could have never guessed. I could have never put it where it’s at right now.
Rulin: Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. I don’t think any of us were like, we’re all going to be, you know, mini celebrities and our life’s going to change and I’m going to quit working retail. I think we’re all pretty blessed to be in it and really thankful for the opportunity.
What was it like filming High School Musical 2? Was it fun to join the old cast?
Sanborn: Absolutely. We talked about it a little bit towards the end of the first one and I always hoped they would make it a reality. When I found out they were writing it and they were definitely planning on doing it, I was stoked. I was so happy about it.
Rulin: Yeah, I was in Paris studying economics at the time and I was told, “Come back to the States—we’re making the second one.” I think for every actor, for me personally, I think it’s great to watch a character that you actually get to develop throughout the course of two movies, and now three, makes you feel really creative.
Were you able to have more fun with your characters the second time around?
Sanborn: Definitely. You know with the first one, I played the dumb jock who didn’t really understand the situations and in this one, it took a little bit more flight. Jason’s more a part of the team, and even though he’s kind of slow everyone still loves him so it was definitely cool.
Rulin: I played around with her a little bit more on this movie and you could see that her self-confidence is getting higher and she’s not hiding underneath her clothes and hats and glasses as much and she’s more confident in talking to all the different social groups and being kind of out there. That was representative in the second movie and hopefully will continue in the third.
Are you excited to do the third one?
Sanborn: Absolutely.
Rulin: So excited. I mean, it’s going to be so much fun.
Sanborn: I could not be happier right now.
Rulin: There’s going to be so much dancing. I’m a little nervous. We’re used to having about two weeks of rehearsal time and it’s enough to learn the steps but I’m more nervous having two months of rehearsal time because you get to know the steps and get confident, and that’s when you usually get careless and mess up. So hopefully everyone’s careful and doesn’t sprain anything.
That was a great opening sequence (“What Time is It”) at the beginning. How fun was that to film?
Sanborn: It was an awesome way to start off with a bang, you know, that was one of the first things that we filmed and it definitely kind of set the tempo for the rest of the movie and I thought it was great.
Rulin: Yeah, it kept the energy up and the sequence where we run out of the school, and we do that number, we learned those 16 counts, literally five minutes before we shoot. They were like, “Oh, we’re going to do this” and we were like, “All right” and it made it into the movie and it actually looks amazing, so, it definitely got everybody’s juices flowing.
In the film, you work at a country club over the summer. What memorable summer job experiences have you had?
Sanborn: My best and worst summer job was at a Halloween superstore. I got to wear the Scream costume and sat out on the sidewalk and held a sign. That was pretty awesome. When I wasn’t doing that, I was walking around the store, vacuuming and cleaning up, and, it was horrible.
Rulin: I had a lot of jobs in my life, just random stuff. I worked at Victoria Secret. I was a bra specialist! I worked at a pound, but one of the worst jobs I ever had was during my first year in college. I also worked at this warehouse, making flower arrangements for this like massive flower and box company. I was dirty and wet the whole time and they paid me like practically nothing. They would always cut our meal times short. But now I can make you killer flower bouquet arrangements!
Olesya, you have a background in dance, do you have any background in music for playing a pianist?
Rulin: Uh, not at all actually. I’m a classically trained ballerina but I quit when I was 18. So it was difficult for me to do High School Musical because I don’t really do hip hop all that much, I knew how to like do a fouetté but, incorporating that into dance, and like having people pull me aside and teach me, it was really different and interesting for me. But I had a fun time, and I had a great partner in the second one. Ryne’s like my guy, we’re always together and so it was great, cuz he’d be like, “Okay now” and he’d pull me aside and work with me so he was really sweet to do that.
This was the first time you had the opportunity to sing. Were you nervous?
Olesya: Yeah, it was nerve wracking. They called me into the studio and I knew I would be singing but I figured I’d be in the chorus and they told me “Here’s your six lines for your solo part” and I almost had a little heart palpitation. I was like, “What?” and four hours later and a lot of tea later, I finished it.
Ryne, you play hockey for the Utah Stars. How do you balance your games and acting?
Sanborn: It’s difficult but you know, my mom, she’s with me everywhere I go. She’s kind of like my guiding star. But hockey, definitely, I think was a big help for me in dancing just because hockey teaches you to use your hands and your feet separately from each other and that’s a big part of dancing. It was tough but I had a lot of help so I can’t take all of the credit.
How did your team react to your performance in the movies?
Sanborn: Well, my nickname was “Disney” so…
Rulin: Awww.
Sanborn: I got a lot of crap from my teammates. But at the same time, I got a lot of support.
What projects can we look forward to seeing you in next?
Ryne: Well, a while ago I did an independent film with Lucas (Grabeel, who plays Ryan Evans) and it was pretty interesting. It’s called The Adventures of Food Boy. Should be kind of a fun one for everybody.
And Olesya, you’re working with Jessica Simpson in a movie?
Rulin: Yeah, we finished Major Movie Star. It’s a movie about a girl that’s kind of looking for her way in life and looks to the army to find camaraderie. I play Jessica Simpson’s character’s best friend, her biggest fan in boot camp, Petrovich, and so it was really fun. It was an amazing experience. We shot in Louisiana and I ran through mortar +fire, crawled through mud, and everyone was such a good sport. And hands down to Jessica, because we’d be hurt and in pain. Like if she got a sore muscle in her leg she’d be, like, “All right, it’s cool.” She’s like half crying through the scene but she’d say, “Whatever, let’s go.” No diva at all, so it was wonderful. And I’m filming a movie right now in San Diego with Billy Ray Cyrus and Heather Locklear, it’s called Flying By. I play their daughter.
What’s that about?
Rulin: It’s a great movie about stereotypes and some social issues. I have a dad who meets up with his old band from high school and decides he wants to play with them again. They have this opportunity to go on the road and tour and I play a supportive daughter. There’s a lot of problems with his wife, played by Heather Locklear, and how to deal with responsibilities but also not letting your dreams go.
Do you have any time off for the holidays?
Sanborn: Yes, I’ll be with my family. My mom wants to go to Hawaii but I’m kind of a traditional kid. I like to be around the snow and Christmas trees and stuff.
Rulin: My last day on the movie Flying By is the 21st so on the 22nd I will pack up my little car and start driving to Utah to hang out with some family and friends and go snowboarding!
What can we expect from High School Musical 3?
Sanborn: Another great movie.
Rulin: I think all of us just want to make another great story and hopefully people like it a lot. Hopefully it gives some outcasts justice and hopefully it reaches out to all the same people that we’ve been reaching out to. That’s our goal.
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