When fans think back to High School Musical related drama, they usually think about the relationship between Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. Of course, their relationship started while filming the first movie in the beloved Disney Channel trilogy but eventually spiraled into drama. In fact, it's not exactly clear if Zac and Vanessa have any 'like' for each other now that their relationship is over. But that's not the specific drama we're talking about here.
In fact, the secret feud that existed on the set of the first High School Musical has downright surprised fans...
Ashley Tisdale's Secret Feud... With Her High School Musical Brother
Yep, Sharpay and Ryan really didn't get along. In the movies, Ryan was almost always at the beck and call of his aggressive, dominant, and power-hungry sister. Perhaps this factored into their behind-the-scenes conflict. Perhaps not. But we do know that fans are absolutely shocked by the admission, which Ashley shared on her Youtube channel.
When you think about possible feuds on the set of High School Musical, one between Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel doesn't come to mind. If anything, people would be pitting the women against each other. In particular, people may think that there was some tension between Ashley and Vanessa Hudgens. Their characters were at each other's throats, after all. Additionally, these two were up-and-coming actors who could've easily clashed and fought for screentime and attention. But this was the farthest from the truth. The reality is that Ashley and Vanessa were and are fantastic friends.
But Ashley's relationship with her on-screen brother was a completely different story.
During a 2017 reunion between the two actors on Ashley's Youtube channel, the pair discussed their secret feud. The topic came up when Ashley asked Lucas about his favorite experience with her while making the movies.
"We were not close. We were not good friends—let's be honest. It's been 10 years, so we can talk about this now," Ashley admitted with Lucas by her side. "We hated each other. Like, I'm not kidding."
"We didn't get off on the best foot," Lucas said.
"We didn't."
How Their Feud Started
According to Lucas's interview with Billboard, his feud with Ashley started in the audition room. Specifically, she tried to give him a bunch of notes on his audition that he prepared for himself.
"I just want to work on my own thing, and I came prepared. But we ran through the scene together outside, and she gave me notes in true Sharpay fashion. I was like, 'Who is this girl telling me how to do my own audition?'"
In their Youtube video together in 2017, Ashley admitted that she was a lot like Sharpay and this deeply affected their connection from the start. In short, she took on a lot of the most negative traits of the character and it affected her behind-the-scenes relationship with her costar.
While speaking to Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, Ashley spoke about the origin of their conflict, confirming what Lucas said to Billboard.
"Lucas and I didn't get along at first, because when we were screen testing, I was giving him line readings."
She went on to say that she wasn't exactly being a method actor, but the character did bleed over into who she was. It took until they wrapped the first film for Lucas to truly realize that Ashley wasn't her character and the too could, in fact, get along.
How The Two Eventually Came Together
Over time, Lucas and Ashley did become extremely close. But it took some real experiences and clearing some hurdles to get there. It also took growing up, which was something both of them were doing on set together at the same time.
Lucas explained the evolution of their relationship the best during their discussion in the video on Ashley's Youtube channel.
After professing his love for Ashley, Lucas said, "You know, Mr. Rodgers had a great quote, and it’s 'You can learn to love anyone if you hear their story.’'And I think that’s what it took. We just needed to live some life and go through some experiences together, and learn where both of us came from."
Fans of High School Musical seemed to be surprised by this feud but thrilled that the two were able to work it out. Clearly, it's a reminder that not everything we see on screen is accurate of real life. But more importantly, it's a reminder that relationships often need some care, time, and understanding to actually work. At least, that was the case for Sharpay and Ryan.