Trending badgeTrendingPosted 43 minutes agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret DownI Genuinely Can't Watch "High School Musical" The Same Way After Learning These Wild FactsAshley Tisdale and Monique Coleman both initially auditioned for the role of Gabriella Montez.by Kelly MartinezBuzzFeed ContributorFacebookPinterestLink It's been almost 20 years since High School Musical came out, but the lyrics to "Get'cha Head in the Game" still live rent-free in my head. The film is simply one of the greatest Disney Channel movies of all time. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Disney / Via giphy.com Recently, I went down a rabbit hole and discovered a bunch of interesting trivia about the movie. From castings that almost happened to cut songs, here are 16 of the wildest facts about High School Musical: 1. First, High School Musical likely wouldn't have been greenlit if it weren't for the success of the Even Stevens musical episode. Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment / Courtesy: Everett Collection "We were simultaneously producing That's So Raven and the next thing we produced was the That's So Raven musical," Even Stevens director Sean McNamara told UPROXX of the musical episode. "Then they developed High School Musical and the rest is history. I think what it did was it made the executives feel comfortable that people would respond to musicals." 2. The real East High School was damaged in a flash flood. View this photo on Instagram Instagram: @kaycstroh High School Musical was filmed at an actual high school in Salt Lake City, Utah (while students were in attendance!). Unfortunately in July 2017, a flash flood hit the school. According to actor KayCee Stroh, who played Martha in the films, it cost an estimated $2-3 million in damages. 3. The movie was apparently almost a Grease (1978) sequel starring Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake instead. Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection Okay, this one is truly mind-blowing. Per IMDb, the origin story of High School Musical can be traced back to a 1999 script titled Grease 3, with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake attached to star as Danny and Sandy's children. The plot of the screenplay, which was shelved until 2004, was apparently extremely similar to what would eventually become High School Musical. Sharpay's character was initially Rizzo's daughter! 4. High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008) was originally supposed to be Halloween themed. Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection One of the early proposed concepts for the third installment was entitled Haunted High School Musical, with the plot involving the students and teachers being tormented by ghosts. NGL, I would have been seated for this. 5. Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel didn't get along initially. Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection Sharpay and Ryan are an iconic sibling duo, but their IRL relationship was a little rockier off-screen - at least, at first. "I was paired with Ashley and she really pissed me off," Grabeel said at the MegaCon convention in Feb 2025. "This girl. I mean, this is why she got the job - she was so Sharpay. She literally, we did the scene, we came out and she's like, 'Hey, so I really wanna rehearse and go over it again.' And I was like, 'I'm kinda good, 'cause I did my homework and I'm ready to go.' And she's like 'No.' The feeling was mutual, with Tisdale admitting to not exactly harboring warm and fuzzy feelings for her co-star either. Fortunately, the two get along swimmingly now. "After doing three movies, two tours, countless international travels, parties, interviews and roundtables, Ashley is a sister to me," Grabeel told Billboard in 2018. "I love her. We are like family. We are a lot like Ryan and Sharpay." 6. Corbin Bleu (Chad) originally auditioned for Ryan, while Grabeel originally auditioned for Troy. Tisdale and Monique Coleman (Taylor) both initially auditioned for the role of Gabriella... Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection "I went in right after Drew Seely, who ended up singing for Troy in the movie," Grabeel told BuzzFeed News in 2016. "I obviously heard him because it was in a trailer, so it was really thin walls and I was like, Oh shit. I'm totally not gonna get this because that guy's incredible." 7. ...and Coleman almost refused to audition for the movie altogether. Fred Duval / FilmMagic / Getty Images "It was actually an active argument between me, my agents, and my manager," Coleman told BuzzFeed News. "I was like, 'I'm not going. I'm not going.'" Fortunately, she eventually changed her mind! 8. Zac Efron's future 17 Again (2009) costars Hunter Parrish and Sterling Knight both auditioned for the role of Troy. New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection Parrish played Stan in the 2009 film, while Knight starred as Efron's on-screen son Alex. 9. Jesse McCartney was offered the part of Troy before auditions even began, but he turned it down. Gregory Pace / FilmMagic / Getty Images According to the book Disney High by Ashley Spencer, McC