Joshua Bassett & Matt Cornett Interview: High School Musical: The Series
Disney+ has hit it big with sci-fi and fantasy fans, enjoying success with everything from The Mandalorian to Marvel projects like WandaVision. Now the teen and theater demographics are ready to show out once more, with the return of the explosively popular High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on May 14th.
The second season brings the beloved cast and characters back to East High for yet another reinvented Disney musical, only this time it's Beauty and the Beast and the stakes have gotten higher with the introduction of a regional competition against rival school, North High. In the meantime, the students have to deal with their own relationship troubles and their post-high school futures looming.
Stars Joshua Bassett and Matt Cornett spoke to Screen Rant about how their characters, Ricky and EJ, are handling their new set of circumstances - as well as which musical moments from the first season stood out most to them.
How are Nini and Ricky adjusting at the start of season 2, after we left off on a potential separation?
Joshua Bassett: Yes. Lots of questions in the air, lots of uncertainty. We pick up essentially right where we left off with everybody. But with Ricky and Nini, they finally get back together, and now there's this awesome opportunity for her to potentially go to this school. And that brings a whole new round of problems.
I can't say too much, but it is a rocky road. Shocker, I know. There's lots of unexpected twists and turns.
Matt, EJ's heart seems to have healed since last season. What is he focused on now, and how is he preparing for his future?
Matt Cornett: Yeah, I think a big thing that he's focused on this season is just trying to figure out himself, find out who he really is and what is important to him. Being a second semester senior in season 2, he is trying to figure out what his future holds and whether that's school or whatnot.
There's certain paths that his family has followed, going down generations, and he is like, "I need to follow in these footsteps to make my family proud." But he slowly starts to realize that what's most important is your group and the people around you and the people that love you, and just enjoying every moment that you have.
Miss Jenn doles out lessons in each episode in her quirky and kooky ways. Is there anything that she or that High School Musical in general has taught you over the course of these two seasons?
Joshua Bassett: Matt kind of said it, but I think it's that idea of what's really important to you, and who's really important to you - and is it worth all the bitterness. Because season 2 is a very competitive season, and not just within the cast, but with the other school now. It's a lot of exciting new parts and new world and everything. And I think that there's a certain level of competitiveness that's super healthy, for sure. But it poses the question of what's worth it.
What grudges and what things are worth holding on to? And ultimately, are you are you making the best of your situation no matter what? Are you really enjoying it or, at the end of the day, are you gonna look back and be like, "Wow, why was I so hell bent on beating this person? Why was I so hell bent on getting this sort of attention?" When in reality, that's just never worth it. And I think that it really highlights your chosen family, and making sure that you remember to prioritize those people and to love them and all the good things [they bring]. So that's a key takeaway that I think I've had from this season, for sure.
Matt Cornett: And "trust the process." That's what Miss Jenn says.
Speaking of the competition that you so eloquently dived into, how does having a competition open up new doors or open up the world for your characters?
Matt Cornett: Honestly, not to keep going around the same topic, but I feel like a huge thing for every character is family. Throughout the competition, and getting caught up in awards, and this and that, and beating the other school and everything - I feel like everybody starts to realize, "We have each other. We have family, and that's what's most important here." Basically, yes, just family.
Joshua Bassett: The other school does a really good job of weaseling their way into East High, and the best way to take down another school is from the inside out. I think that they make their way in and sort of ruffle feathers. It's all in the name of competition, but the way they do it is pretty clever.
Matt, Ashlynn and EJ have a really sweet dynamic, especially this season. Can you talk about the ways in which they may be supporting each other?
Matt Cornett: Yeah, I think that's something that's changing a little bit this season. In season 1, obviously, they're family. But I feel like season 1, EJ almost took advantage of Ashlynn and used her as his little doll, I guess, just to throw things out here and there.
In the second season, he truly like goes to her for advice, and she comes to him to talk. And the things that she tells him, I think he truly takes to heart more. He truly listens to her more than usual. There's one episode specifically, that's super, super fun. I can't say too much, but you get to see them play and have a little bit more playfulness with each other. That's so much fun. And it was just a blast to shoot that episode.
What I find fascinating about Ricky is that the show actually deals with the fact that maybe he's not the most reliable person. He's a really good guy and a good friend, but sometimes you can't really count on him when you want to, or even when he wants to be counted on. How would you say he's dealing with or growing from that this season?
Joshua Bassett: Yeah. I think that the thing about people who are unreliable is ultimately they pay the price for it, because people don't rely on them. Ricky, the second he glues one side together, the other side falls apart. He's running around, and he really is trying his best is the thing.
He just needs to grow up and learn and figure out how to manage himself, and how to take care of himself and everyone else. Meanwhile, there's so much changing in his everyday life that he just has a hard time keeping up with that. But it's not an easy journey, for sure.
Looking back on season 1, what has been your favorite musical number?
Matt Cornett: I think either "Get Your Head in The Game" or the finale. One of those. Those two were so much fun, just because almost everybody in the group was involved. Definitely in the finale, everybody was involved. But in "Get Your Head in The Game," it was just so much fun. Because, just as a number in itself, it was such a blast. We got to use basketballs, which I love basketball. It was a blast. I love that.
Joshua Bassett: Gotta say, not to steal Matt's answer or whatever, but "Get Your Head in The Game" was pretty great. That was the most fun I've ever had. Every time we did it, it was just this giant rush of dopamine, like, every time we did it was three minutes of pure happiness. And then I'd be like, "Can we do it again?"
We did "Get Your Head in The Game" a lot of times, but I would do it a lot more.
Matt Cornett: I have to say really quickly: dance is very new to me, and "Get Your Head in The Game" was the moment that I think I actually started really enjoying dance. It was a lot of stress at first, but after "Get Your Head in The Game," that's when I was like, "This is actually fun."
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premieres its second season May 14 through Disney+.