Thank you everybody for joining us on this Park Copper episode of Magical Rewind and boy do we have a special one today.
I am so happy.
We've been waiting for a while because his schedule is crazy, but he has been so accommodating to come on and talk to us about the juggernaut that is High School Musical, the movie that I watched and I liked.
They break in the song and I was actually okay with it. We are here today to talk to Dad.
Coach.
How do you want to refer to him?
I think it's everything.
I think so too.
I can't wait to talk about the chemistry that he had with his son on the movie because he and Zach for well, I don't want to get too much into it anyway, Please help us. Welcome coach, Dad bart Johnson. Thank you so much for joining us.
Ah Man, my pleasure. Thanks for having me Ca.
Yeah, this is very cool to have you come on because we have obviously, as you know, we're going through and watching all of the Disney Channel original movies love It, Love It, and I had not seen most of them, and I had never seen High School Musical.
Wow. Okay, yeah, I was the one percentile.
I was I was the one three No, so we're we started with just the first one and then we're going to do eight because we've done like The Cheetah Girls and Camp Rock and Teen Beach and I haven't gotten any of the sequels yet.
Cool. Cool, Well, you know what's unique? If I might just jump in here please, this was it was only supposed to be at one off. You know, there was never supposed to be a sequel. So it was pretty interesting when when they realized that they had this like crazy hit on their hands. So I think pretty much all those other ones, they had all the actors on a three picture deal, right, not on this one, man, not on this one.
Yeah, yeah, right, Because I remember when when the second one was coming around and it was kind of not sure if everyone was actually going to sign back onto the to do the second one, because they, like you said, they only signed up to do one, and then obviously all of you guys blew up after that first one, so then it was like, all right, well, let's let's talk some deals here. Yeah.
Yeah, Disney's not used to having to pay their actors like that, you know, you know, And it was it was really interesting because the first one came out, they didn't really do any special promotion any more than any other film. So when the numbers came in and eighteen million people watched that first screening, they just like it didn't even make any sense, Like how did everyone in the world like connect with this thing?
I know? And I loved it because when that was all going on, you know, you talk to the fans and it was they could find somebody within the cast that they really related to, you know, and it was so easy to just embrace the whole movie because the cast was so diverse, which was amazing, you know, it was it was awesome.
Yeah, I think that I really think that a lot of the successes attributed to that. Like it'sarthentic, you know, like the themes were like they meant a lot to people, and you know, it was almost ahead of its time with a whole like we're all in this together. I mean, like so much through the like pandemic and everything, we talked about this and people really needed it. So it's pretty pretty interesting.
Yeah, can you take us back to the first time you heard about this project? Was this just a regular audition that came across your your plate? I mean, how did you hear about this.
No, actually not at all. So I met Kenny Ortega on the set of Newsies if you remember that.
Of course, a great movie.
Yeah yeah, yeah, a long time ago. My mom was actually his hairstylist on Newsies. And so I visited the set and became friends with the cast there, and I you know, Christian Bale of course, and Ellie Keats and Dave Moscow and and that was kind of like a real training point for me of like wanting to be an actor, like seeing these kids are like my age, you know, and having like these really cool lives. And I was already do a theater, but I was just doing for fun, and I kind of grew up around
of these movies. But I got to know Kenny or take it he was he was a young kid back then.
Man, he's just a long tail and the long pony time see pictures of it. So cool.
Oh yeah yeah, man, he was the best, and he was just we became friends and I've just known him forever. So he's always really supportive of my acting career. So like anytime, like, I had a series that Warner Brothers called Hyperion Bay, and he watched the show and he'd call and say, hey, that was a really great scene, or I really liked who did this, or he just you know, watched anytime I was working, and watch the movies I was in, and just over the years, over
ten to fifteen years. So when this movie came out, this was after he did News. He's after he did hocus Pocus. He was like, he was doing the little Disney Channel movie. So I got a call. I got a phone call from Kenny out of the blue, and he said, Hey, listen, doing this little Disney Channel movie. No one's gonna see it. It doesn't happen yet. We're just calling it high school musical until we come up with a name. There's no money in it. But we're gonna go to Utah and we're gonna make this movie
and it's gonna be a lot of fun. So what do you say You come do this movie with us? And I said, yeah, of course. And he said, okay, Well you got to go to Universal and go meet with Natalie Hard and Jason Lapadora, the casting directors, And I said okay. So I went in and auditioned for the role, and about three days later I find out I didn't get it. I didn't get the role, and then I get a call from Kenny Ortigia. Is what happened? I said, I don't know. I just want went in there.
You know, I've never played a dad before, Like I know, Coach was kind of young for that. I'd always been you know, I was still playing the roles where You're like, I'm playing the basketball. Yeah, I'm not there on the outside look at this. So this is like for me, so, well, what'd you wear? Would you wear the audition? I was like, like a T shirt and pair of jeans. He's like, listen, you gotta go in there and you got to act your age. You know, you got to play zag Caffron's dad.
I'm like, Who's who's that? Guffron Like nobody knew who he was, you know, who's that? He's like, well, he's just you know, he's this teenage kid. I'm like, I got I'm not old enough to have a teenage kid. That's crazy. And he's like, look, the does I want you to do? Go put gray hair, put some gray in your hair, put on a sports coat, and go in there and act serious, act act like the right age. And I'm like, okay, okay, so I did all that
and he got me a screen test at Disney. So I went in and acted all serious business and had gray in my hair, you know, and and I got the role. And then when I get the gray stuff like, you know, you don't need to you know, don't have to do this, Okay. Cool. So yeah, that's how that happened. That was just like out of the blue.
Jan That's amazing. Kenny really fought for you to get that role. That is so cool.
I can't believe it. I really can't believe it. And he'd seen a bunch of coaches. I think he was getting desperate as with us. He's like, you know, Disney like has their list of Disney actors and they said, here's the whole list, and he went through the whole list and he's like, it's just this. He just doesn't like you, is just not right, Like he he saw me as coach Bolton somehow. I'm glad he did.
Hey definitely, And we've heard from other people too that he has this vision in his head and until he gets there, like there's no stopping him, like he's he's gonna go. Oh his vision is and this is a perfect example of he was freaking right, Yeah, gotta go with it. When Kenny says something, you gotta go with it. So that's pretty cool.
I think all of us that were there, like on set watching it happen, we all know this is like, this is Keny Ortegan Man. This is like such a testament to his not only his vision but his commitment to making something great. Like his standard is just so high.
And he rewrote the music and the dialogue and he was, you know, so sious about the casting and he found you know, Zach to play Troy, which was amazing and you know, actually it'sday able to play you know, such a great sharpay and so good and that's so sweet. Is that is like Gabrielle. So it's yeah, it's all.
It's all Kenny Man, It's all. Then when you work with him, it's like I I mean, it's just same as he's working on newsies like this big you know, one hundred million dollar Disney film or a little Disney Channel movie. It's the same, like passionate, same commitment, and he really yeah he made it great.
Yeah, but the budget may change, but the art doesn't. Yeah, yeah for him for sure.
Yeah, he wasn't nothing in man, this guy was make it something special.
Full you know, disclosure. I tell people I am not a musical guy.
Yeah.
Normally, when I'm watching a movie and everyone breaks into the song, I always go like, what.
Did they get together? And rehearse first? Like what the heck is?
But I really liked High School Musical, Like I genuinely liked High School Musical. And one of the reasons was the casting. The relationship seem real, They seem to get along like there was there was chemistry between everybody. And one of the things that I really noticed that with the chemistry was you and Zach. Yeah, And I'm curious, was that something that was there instantly or is that something that you built as you were rehearsing?
How did how did that relationship come along?
Well? I appreciate that. That's that's great because it means a lot to be Like, I feel like I'm the most fortunate guy in the cast because like all my stuff is with Zach, who I think is a terrific actor.
Yah.
He takes his craft very serious, like he wants to have his scenes connect and be real and authentic and like and be really genuine and and he you know, he was working on this movie like it was as important as you know, Iron Claw, you know. I mean it's like he worked at a really high standard and same same with Kenny, so we wanted it to be real. Uh.
You know. It's it's a funny thing, you know, when you get a script as an actor, it's like it's up to you to interpret what it means and how deep you want to go and or how deep you don't want to go, you know, And you know, like I'm a dad and I'm a coach, and I saw it as such a gift to me. You know, usually in these type of movies, you play the dad, like the support of dad, or like the hard nos coach, Like you don't really ever get to play both roles.
It's kind of kind of special that way. And you know, I looked try to internalize that a lot because I like, as a Doug, I got kids, man, I want I want to love my kids. I don't want to like man, I just want to take care of them and see them thrive. But like as a coach too, you got you know, you have to play that role as well. So you know, I feel like a lot of and you know, it's like, I'm gonna play this for real, man,
I'm gonna play this like how I really feel. And Zach was too, and so I think Kenny creates the environment for you have like these real feelings, and he takes enough time. And Zach's a really talented guy, so he was able to be there for it. So yeah, yeah, when.
Did you get a chance to meet either Zach or the cast or whatever. Were they in their rehearsal process at that time?
Yeah, yeah, so the first movie. I think the first movie was like four million dollars, so they only had like one week of rehearsal. If you think about it, you know it's not a lot because he has like when Katie or take A told Disney, oh, I want like, you know, fifty dancers here and I'm seventy five, and they said, no, wait, we can't fly. We can't get all these professional dancers. We can't get fifty professional dancers and come up and be in this movie. Beau is, no, no,
I'll get him in Utah. He's like, no, you can't get local talenties. Can you take a directed the opening closing ceremonies for the Olympics. So the Winter Olympics in Utah.
Oh, so he knew the talent pool already. He knew he knew the dancers talent.
And Utah is ridiculous in dancing. It's crazy, ridiculous, so much talent up there.
Yeah, yeah, incredible. So he drew you know, all those guys. But he only had one week to rehearse this old movie crazy.
That is wild, wild because there's so many big production routines.
Just the cafeteria alone would take a week to rehearse that, I mean.
My god.
And then you have the basketball because you can't just you know, it's really hard with the basketball. You know, you throw a camera in the middle of the basketball court and then you have to make all this stuff look real. But you have to do it slow enough that the camera can catch it and like make these plays work. So they would go literally go from dance rehearsal.
I saw their knees and even even these young guys, and they go right to basketball rehearsal and go back and forth forth for one week and they're going they were going quick.
Yeah, because we talked to Corbyn about that. Corbyn's like on the dance stuff, I'd be ripping it and then you throw me basketball and I'd be like.
Damn it, I gotta play basketball.
I think he was the only trained dancer in the show, is Corbyn and played back? Yeah, yeah, he was. Yeah, it's kind of interesting looking back on it, Like Ashley Tisday was the only one that had been on a show. She was on Sweet Live. Yeah, so she's kind of been, you know, around fame and that whole thing. But like everybody else was just like stoked to have a job start in a movie. Man is great, Like they were all stoked. Corbyn was like the only really trained dancer,
like he could and do everything. I mean, Zach is like natural dancer, and yeah, a lot of the you know, there's a lot of talent in general. Speaking of that, the cafeteria scene, that was a special scene. Man, I always when people ask me crazy, yeah, like what what scenes like really stick out for me? That was the first time that I thought, like, nobody knew this was going to be a hit. Like just if anybody says they knew The Lion Man.
Nobody, for the record, nobody has said they knew. They're all like, no, we had no idea.
Okay, all right, I've heard some of the executives like later like, well, we really knew we had something. I'm like, of.
Course, of course the executives, none of the actors. All the actors are like, no, we didn't know.
We did get a chance to talk to Michael Heally and he said that he knew that the chemistry, Like he said that they had something, knew they had something special with the chemistry between Zach and Vanessa, that that was something that was undeniable. And you just thought these two kids were just stoo cue. But yeah, I mean I think this the level of success was just it just knocked everywhere off their feet, Like that was incredible.
I like that Michael Heely guy, he's a good guy. He did for us. He's really funny, good guy. But we were just so we're doing the cafeteria scene, and it's really interesting because that cafterious. Like if you go up to East High right now in Utah, they really called East High, you know, it looks exactly the same. So I've gone a couple times and you look at us, like the tables, the colors of the decoration, it's you know,
the big it's all exactly the same. So people like travel from all around the world to come visit the building, which is about that too. But when we were we were shooting that scene, I just happened to be there with my kids and they were really small at the time. They were like, they're babies. I put him in Kenny was great, you know, he put him in video village, so they get to watch and on the cameras and everything, and Zach's on one side and Vanessa's on the other side.
I'm like, yeah, finally, I'm a cool dad.
You just go home.
This is so they're too young to appreciate. I'm like, this is my chance. When they were shooting that scene, I've never seen anything like it. It was so amazing because Kenny would be watching the monitor. He'd have Bonnie Story on one side and Chuck either are his two
choreographers on either side of him, and they're shooting. They're shooting the scene and they're so I remember looking at the monitor and it was like so much action going on, so many dances, people doing flips and spins and turns and just crazy amounts of stuff cramming into the screen. And while we were shooting, he would be making notes, Okay,
she needs to do this. He needed and it's just like he was writing out like directions, the yell cut and the choreographers to go to work, and they would do it so fast, and by the time he reset the cameras and to go again, everything he talked about was alive on the screen. It was it was like magic Man, amazing.
Well that was the thing again.
I know, I say this disagreeing every time we watch one of these movies. I know nothing of dance. I can't dance. I know nothing about it. Watching the first High School Musical, seeing the levels that he would do, where it's happening in the foreground, it's happening in the middle, it's happening behind you on tables, there was there's something happening in every section of the screen. Yeah, and yet they all are working together as you're watching this scene.
It was insane.
Yeah, they all compliment each other.
Yes, yes, I agree. This is the scene, the first scene in the movie I feel, you know, I'm a big Kenny fan. That exact scene is the first time where you're going, oh, this is what we were waiting for from mister Kenny. Like it's like, okay, I mean, that's the first time that you really get like what Kenny is so freaking good at when it comes to musicals, why you hire him? Why he is like the head captain of the team for that, you know, I mean it was amazing. That scene is awesome.
Well also for Disney though, when you then roll in the fact that he had no budget to do it, so he can take a dollar and make it look like ten. Yeah, that combination of being as good at what he does and coming in at a budget is they're going to hire him to do every movie and they have because it's like why why wouldn't you when you've got that that's yeah, amazing, Yeah.
Yeah, what you're getting with him is, you know, fourteen years of choreographing Michael Jackson's tours, you know, closing ceremonies to Olympics, I mean, big big thing, Xanta dude of you know, like all these all these movies, so like decades decades of his brilliance, and those scenes like that, they're so layered and they're so complimentary and they all kind of coalesce so beautifully. It's it's pretty amazing. And that was the first time or like for me, I
was like, well, this doesn't seem like a little. I didn't think it was I'm not trying to say I knew it was big, but it was like, there's something special about this for sure.
Could you feel it?
Did you know that we might have some kind of lightning in the bottle here?
Yeah, I mean not to this degree, not at all, but like I knew it was pretty special. I mean I was this is this is pretty like what I'm seeing on the screen is like, it's pretty amazing, right, There's something special going on here for sure.
Yeah. And up to that point, for especially the first one, they really didn't have anything that was at all that big, you know what I mean, So you wouldn't expect it. You were gonna you were thinking, this is gonna be a cute, little fun movie, you know whatever, And then at some point the response from the fans said, no, no, this is way more than that.
Yeah. I think, well, you know a lot of people maybe they don't realize too. It's like there was no promotion for this after the success, lots of promotion, but for this movie there was none. That we hardly had a set photographer on the first one, so there's barely any pictures that aren't like screen grabs from the movie. Uh, we had the premiere. We had it at the Disney lot,
you know in Burbank. Yeah, we had it in that tiny little theater on the lot, like that little theater and there was a little poster and I remember it was raining because I drove my motorcycle to the premiere and it was raining. So like the only pictures I have a picture of me and Zach and I'm got my shirt's all wet. It's like little movie man. No one's going to see it. It was like it was nothing. It was like you got to bring like a frand
or so. You know, it's just such a big half the theater was probably I couldn't get my friends to come visit me. I have some friends in Utah. I'm like, look, come on down, come check out this movie. And they're like, what's it called. It doesn't have a name yet, but.
Who's in it? Who's it?
You know?
Who? Come on? I don't know these people.
And then the second the second premiere, this was this one had all changed. Wenna have a premiere and they said, oh, hey, Disney wants to send a Limo And I was like, Limo, what's going on here? Lima now we're talking so wet getting the limo. We go whow all the limos are going to Art theater?
How wow?
Everybody was there? That was a shocker. That was amazing.
Okay, you finished the film, no promotion. Did you go to the little premiere on the Disney lot? Then the movie premieres? How fast was it for you to realize, Wait a second, this is way bigger than I thought it was going to be.
Oh, immediately the next day after the numbers came out, because the headlines were crazy, they said, it's like the most viewed movie on cable ever, like any movie ever. So that was a really big deal. And it's worldwide. Like the reach worldwide is travel. I tend to travel a lot, and I'm in like little I was in this little town called Shaka in Sicily and Italy, and like I got mob by like three hundred people down there in this little tiny town, Like did the speak
English Man? It's it's like it's crazy, Like the reach is crazy. So I don't even I don't even know how they explain that. But it was like so worldwide, so fast it was. It was a trip.
It has to be so crazy to think back, you know, doing obviously work with Zach and also Vanessa, and they're so green at the time and now to see them and as these epic stars that they are, that had to be really cool to be part of their beginning.
You know, it's such a privilege. It's like such an honor. Zach became like a really good friend and he was like my workout buddy, like he's the best. And Vanessa I just a lover to pieces, like a love her so much. She's such a sweetheart. I just love her. So it was really fun and I was and I was, honestly, I was like really proud of them because they're they're
they're young kids. Man. All this money and all this fame and everybody wants from them, and they've just maintained like this such a solid, down to earth, beautiful way about him. I was like, good for you, guys, man, because I like, we came back for the second movie, and I was like, that's so rad. And then when we came back for the third movie, I was like, let's see, because I've seen this before, seeing my friends
go on series. They come back like two or three seasons later, things have changed, and I gotta tell you they're like as sweet as ever.
Oh that's awesome. I love that.
It was really cool.
When's the last time you've actually watched a high school musical? Have you watched it at all?
Boy, it's it's been a little well, no, it's not true. I get invited to screenings and and to like go do put's and stuff, and if I'm around, I'm in town, I love to do it. Yeah, and then I do these like I just did this, I just hosted. This is crazy. This is the weirdest. Well here's here's a weird thing about like me. Particular is that like I couldn't get a job after this the movies came out, Like I couldn't get a job. It is the weirdest thing.
And I see it was just it's really weird being a dad on a Disney show like adult, Like I wasn't invited to stuff, you know. It's like it was kind of a weird thing because I've never like when I've been a part of a TV series or a show or something, I'm used to like, oh, you're part of the family, Like I'm in all three movies, like and I remember, like they get they like they they gave East high yearbooks out to like everybody in the cast like.
Oh that's so cool.
Oh not you Bart you know, not you.
I'm like they didn't you didn't get one.
I never got one. Still still never did. Wait what yes, craziest thing. And then they go to ward Nouse people the cast that have like one or two lines.
They're invited, but they're young.
They're the kids, they're the kids.
And it's like I get it, Like I get it's like for the promotion of that, but it's like.
Still, why not get I get Okay, I get maybe not the promotion. They're not gonna throw you out there ready, but why not give you a year?
Man?
Get that?
And like the award shows and all these different like like all these high school musical events. I'm like, how am I not getting in fighted in life? It's the weirdest I mean now I am like now like all these later they're like, oh, you're such an important part of the franchise. You know, they're great now, but like we're like ten years and then and then cut to like I gotta get a job because like HBO is not like hey, who's the dad on that Disney ship?
Like like that's the stuff I was going on for this really cool stuff before and now I'm like, oh, now I'm like in this corny thing like.
Somebody you know, you noticed a real like doubt.
Oh no, they would tell you. They would tell you, like they tell my agent like, oh no, we don't want the guy from the Disney Channel and no, but no, no, no, who is that? Yeah, we'll pick him up like Frank Gosling. And you know all these people come from you know, as your kids. But it's a weird thing that. So I was like for a while there, I was like, oh, this is like I thought this was the best job of my life. It might be the worst job of
It was the weirdest thing. It's just like not cool man, not I got like no opportunities now though now it's not now it's changed. But like I've done, I've done a lot of work before this movie, you know.
So it was, well, that's one thing we should definitely mention. I mean we're talking about, you know, the stuff that our listeners, especially we listened to as you did stuff like Saved by the Bill of the New Class, Clueless, you did thunder Ally, which was we we could have met because Boyme's world was literally right next door to thunder ally, so.
Oh yeah, could have met back in the day. Yeah, I mean you were in a Francis sport Copla movie, weren't you.
That was my very first job. Yeah yeah, So.
I mean it's like you were you weren't just making the rounds, you were working on high, high level stuff.
Yeah. Yeah, And I had recently done this TV series that thirty something, the guys from thirty something made. Yeah, it's like, really that was a really great show. And yeah, I kind of felt like a built up a career. I got blindsided by like what seemingly an amazing opportunity that everyone in the world knows.
It's just like it's blindsided by being in the biggest movie ever seen in cable history.
It's like, damn, it's crazy. But but you know, like the story ends well because like whatever, fifteen years later, now now it's like really cool and it's like now pop culture and now it's like I'm feeling like, oh, like now it's good. Like I did an episode of Uh, I did an episode of All American, which I think is a great TV show. And this is this example. I was going to work one day and the showrunners like, hey, I love you coach full.
You know.
Wcats Is that how I got this job? Like okay, yeah, so it's kind of like calm around And so did you go through a time then where you were like, man, I wish I wasn't in those movies. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I was torn. I was always torn. I was always learn so much. Sure, yeah, I loved them and I had so much fun. I was raised on musicals, like my favorite movies. Uh, singing in the.
Rain, I just I love me.
And I did them in high school, like all through high school, I did a lot of musicals and and uh I sing and dance and and uh so it's the whole thing, and the whole actually, the whole thing is really weird because, uh, I've never you know, I've never been on the sideline where it's like I'm usually one like singing and dancing, and like these guys don't even sing a dance, man, Like these guys are not
even real seers younger and not sing. And then I had a song and a dance in the first one, originally in the original script, I had a song and a dance, and I was like, oh, this is sick. We finally got to do it, and Dizzy's like.
No, listen, no they cut y'all.
We didn't shoot it before we shot it. But it's like, no, I don't want to see the old guy saying.
Like, hey, you did you ever try to go to like to Kenny or anybody and be like you gotta for the next one or whatever. You gotta give me a song and dance you got.
Kenny would talking, he would mention it every once in a while of like you know, because he he really wanted it. He's he's great, man. Kenny is like he's the best. Like when the when number two came out, I wasn't in Number two very much at all, and Kenny saw the script, he said, what's going on? What are we doing here? Like this is like when Zach has some heavy contemplating. You don't go talk to your friends, you go talk to your family.
Yeah, absolutely, talk to your dad.
Like this is like the heart of his journey. So he had all these scenes written with me in it, which thanks man, I appreciate that.
Yeah, that's great.
That good.
Wow have your have your kids watched them?
Uh? I don't know if they've actually watched them entirely. They've seen it. There is kind of a funny thing with my kids because like I couldn't take them to elementary school when that when it came out, they were they were in elementary school and I couldn't walk in the school anymore because they mobbed. It's the funny. It's like the funniest thing, Like five six seven year olds.
Do your kids get irritated with it? Then I know my dad is Gach Boulton.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And then when they got older in school, it was like, you know, drew a lot of attension and I don't want all this attention. And then you know they're like his you know my kids their uncles is Ryan Reynolds, like and yeah, it is lively. So it's like they already get like people coming up to them asking about that, and then I show up and then it's like everybody wants to talk about that, and they're like, oh my gosh.
But then yeah, but then one day I was at this I was in Orange County and was at this trampoline park and it was like this massive, one, beautiful one. It's like, oh, this is the coolest trampoline park of every so we just kind of stumbled into it. My kids are jumping around. All the people that work there
are like my people, my wildcats, you know. So you know, I'm like, yeah, my kids are off jump and I'm taking pictures of them and you know, like hanging out with them, and they're having a good time and they're everybody's like the fans, the fandom in high school musical, just like they got my heart, man anything.
Very loyal, very loyal fans.
Most of our producers are of that.
Yeah, you've got many of them here, now.
Tell them all. I love them with all my I'm so grateful for him. I'll do anything for him. So I'm at the trampoline park. I'm I'm loving these guys and uh and uh they close, and so everybody's leaving and and like, oh man, we just found you know. We were traveling through Orange County. You know, we live in LA but just traveling through. And my kids like so bummed. And they were like, oh no, no, no, you guys stay as long as you want. And my kids are like, wait, what what's happening here?
What?
I'm like, my people, we stay as long as you want. They're like, wait a minute, there's upside to this thing.
Well, my dad is suddenly awesome again. That's what it took.
That's what it took.
Do any of the people come up to you and throw out one of their favorite lines of yours? Do they do to you? Oh? Yeah, yeah yeah, which ones do they do?
Uh?
They're like, will you say it? Well? First of all, now they just say will you say it? Cause you just can you say it? Please? And I'm like, where's my team Darbus? And we're already like to get the phones out, you know whatever.
I'm like a tree and then they just literally shot They're like, what are they doing in a tree?
Right there?
All right?
So here's the thing.
Ian Reynolds, Blake Lively, Yeah whatever, your wife was in fuzz Bucket?
Oh?
Yeah, did you ever see Fuzzbucket?
Have never?
Did you just say you've never seen fuzz Bucket?
I don't think I've ever seen it?
Oh man, how can you not have seen the joy that is Fuzzbucket?
That's because if you remember, will Rons like, I've never seen Fuzzybug. No one's asked to do an interview with me about this.
Whole high school musical. None of those movies can touch a fuzz Bucket. Okay, yeah, so please do a family screening a fuzzby I.
Will put it at the top of the list.
We watched it on YouTube is where we found I.
Think it's the only place you can find it is on you on YouTube. You watched it recently, Yeah, we did it.
We did one of our episodes on it.
So one of our episodes was about Fuzzbucket and your wife, and our first question was, when's the last time that you did an interview about Fuzzbucket And she's like, no one in my life has ever asked.
Probably how even Bucket honestly got her to do the show was because of the fact that no one's ever asked her to do. And she was like, what is this show about? What is this podcast?
Asked?
Is like somebody took acid and turned it into a film.
That's crazy. It's good, really good watch.
Yeah interesting. You know.
I hear teen Witch all the time or seen Witch. The rap song from teen Witch is legendary.
Obviously people love that, but fuzz Bucket, I don't. I don't know.
Oh God, please please.
I got to ask her questions because her answers are hilarious. She's like, I have no idea.
We're like, so, what was it like to shoot?
It's like, I don't remember, remember, I don't remember.
I think I worked three days in nineteen eighty two. Like I no one's ever asked me about fuzz Bucket?
Was that what the horse? She was on the horse?
No, Fuzz is the one where the kids I am some kind of awesome creature that we can speak sometimes and is sometimes invisible.
There's no rules.
It's so sometimes it's invisible, sometimes it's not.
It we drinks this weird potion.
She plays the older sister who just it's on her little brother in the worst ways the and.
She just calls him a tumor. He's the tumor, like the whole.
Time, oh man. And we were even asking her because you know, we had done some research and some digging, and it looked there was there's a rumor out on the internet that that was actually more so a pilot that was going to be for a TV show. So we're like, was that the realness? And she's like, I have I have no idea. It was awesome. It was so.
Michael Eisner started all the movies that they couldn't put somewhere so they had to burn off as Wonderful World of Disney's to make them longer. Eisner would record his own intro and this was the first time he ever did it, and apparently it took him like seventy five takes to do the intro to fuzz Bucket.
Oh my gosh.
So that's great again, high school musical with its two hundred and twenty five million viewers. Great, but fuzz Bucket another level. No, anyway, have you back back to why we're here? I just we had to we had to talk Fuzzbucket for a second.
I love that. I like It's on my list.
So do you keep in touch with the cast anymore?
Uh?
Yeah, yeah, I see him. I talked to Kenny more than than anyone. We both live close to each other and okay, I've known him forever. But yeah, yeah, I see everybody. I did an event in Paris with Vanessa recently,
which was great. Oh nice, got some weird things now where it's like, you know, I've come all the way from like oh yeah, yeah, the dad and the coach, but like let's talk about Zach and Vanessa, you know, to like it's kind of come full circle now, like I get, these guys just hired me in Italy to host a dance party for fifteen thousand people. So it's the craziest thing. So come out to Milan, pay me a bunch of money, and like I just get on stage, like dance to these guys. I give them the lines
and dance to some of the music. It's the greatest. It's the greatest. So I've done it a couple of times with a different company in Germany. It it's like, I want to like club and why this was the first time they said, hey, we want you to come out. We pay you to come out and host this party in Berlin. I'm like, okay, cool, And so I go out to Berlin. I'm like, what time? When do you want me go on? Like I got some ideas I
could say this stage. You know, I did the whole crowds there, so I say, you know, like what team and they all yell Wildcats, And just because I always say, like, I know you guys have done the yell before, but have you ever done it with the coach?
Let's go team?
And I get they're just like pumped and their screams and yell. It's the it's the best. It's the best. So I get out to Berlin and they said, you know, we're gonna have you come out in the stage about one. I'm like one in the morning, like I've I'm here, Like, why don't you bring me out earlier? I'll hang out with you guys like whatever, like you'll dance around, like you get the crowd going whatever. And they're like okay, well, okay. You know, at about five am, I'm like, what's the
what are we wrap this thing up? And they're like, oh, yea, as soon as the sun comes up, we'll be time. I was like, oh that's what.
Yeah, a way through.
Oh no, I don't think I could last that.
There's no way.
O'clock in the afternoon. That's the only time one I can do anything that's crazy. Now.
One of the things that we've really noticed, especially by by doing this podcast the people we've brought on, is that nostalgia fans are the most loyal, wonderful, incredible people because what they're watching brings them back to a time in their life that was so happy and safe and I mean usually happy, safe and healthy, or what they're watching, something like a high school musical, took them out of an environment that wasn't happy, healthy and safe, so they've
held onto it in such a way to where it's this idealized image of their childhood. So that's why the fandom you feel is so personal and so loyal and so wonderful is because it is such an important part of their lives. And I know that the fans are just there with.
You no matter what you're doing.
And I'm glad you're finally getting your due, but damn it, I want to get you a yearbook.
I don't know what the hell I have to do.
Hey, I gotta tell you that was really well said. Like how you articulated that was like so on the money. Because the first thing people usually say to me is listen, listen, you don't understand. You don't understand that. I love to hear that because they're about to tell me something really personal or something childhood. And it's like it hits different.
For sure, it does, it does, and I don't.
Take it for granted. Man, I really appreciate it. It's it's pretty awesome.
And I feel like they'll follow you anywhere, whatever your next show is, whatever the next movie is, They'll follow you forever. They're so loyal and amazing people.
I have friends that are like, oh yeah, I don't read your social media comments or you know that kind of thing, and like, man, I do not deserve the amount of love one you know on TikTok and Instagram. It's it's so I appreciate it so much. They're so amazing.
That's the thing about the quote unquote children's programming. When you're when you're involved in something that is focused mostly on children, you're eternal. That doesn't happen when you're an adult. For an adult thing, you're onto the next Tay two hour movie, whatever. That's great, you're onto the next, But when you watch that thing as a kid and it influences.
Your life, it's forever.
Yeah.
So it's you know, those same fans where God willing, we're in our eighties for whatever we did eighties or nineties, that are now in their fifties and sixties, they're still going to feel the same way about you that they did when they were seven or eight years old. It's eternal. So there is something about being in something. That's why Disney Channel we love watching these movies for Disney Channel. We love to see the reach.
That they have.
We love to see the ones like high School Musical that have exploded, but that become a worldwide phenomenon because you're you're forever now for them, and that's something that is so cool.
And I love meeting people like you who absolutely.
You that and don't take it for granted because it's it's great.
Yeah, yeah, you know. I I bet people ask me like, like if I go to Disneyland or something like, sometimes I get caught up with like a line of people and that's funny. I just went recently and the employees at Disneyland started lining up people, like they started organizing the crowd.
I'm like, is this a convention? What's what's what's happening?
Help me? I just want to get to Space Mountain.
No. But I but I like, I always like, I like, and I'll tell you, like the viewers out there, like if you see me, please say hi. I appreciate it so much, so I'm I'm I'm there for it and I'll stay till the last person. And and I love it so much. I always say, like I should be so lucky you know that I give this much of an effort and just give someone a hug and it means so much to them, you know, like I should be so lucky. That's that's a gift.
Yeah, that's awesome.
You got a chance to go back on is it am I reading this right? That it's called The High School Musical the Musical the series.
Yeah, you got.
A chance to reprise your role on that. That had to have been cool. With this new generation of high school musical actors. That is so cool.
It was really fun, you know, it was they there were so many different versions of High School Musical the TV series, and some of them are pretty good, and one like I was going to be the soccer coach and when I was gonna be the vice principal, and like I was digging all these different you know, for several years, and then of course the one they pick is like the meta one where no one's involved. So it's like, well, yeah, of course sucks. But it was
really fun to watch these guys carry it on. And it was so wild to like watch someone like in our school, in our environment, like singing the same songs. Like yeah, it was so meta and so weird to watch, but really really fun to see people like you know, continuing on. But then the final season of the series, they called it the Reunion, and it was basically the storyline was that the original cast comes back to make
High School Musical four. So everybody's wanted High School Musical four for so long and we kind of got to give him a little meta version of that. Urban and Casey Strow and Monique and a few of the casts like came back together to uh to kind of do that. It was super fun.
Did they go back up to Utah and filmed there as well?
Yep, yep, Wow that's cool.
Oh it was so wild because it's like, you know, fifteen years later, Yeah.
The same place, walking in the same.
Basketball court, and it's like, but yeah, I got so emotional. It was likeay, so Tim the creator of the show, he was thoughtful, and he was so kind and so respectful of like we got we're bringing in the og guys. The ogs here, the ogs aer here. Like he was drivening. So the first thing we did before we shot like a frame of that show was got he brought everybody into big circle. So it was like the old cast
and then the new cast. And when we just like sat there in a circle, like looking at each other and like kind of went around and like got to express themselves a little bit, and like I choked up, man, I started crying. I'm like, this is like, this is where we had like our championship game. This is where we're saying, like we're all in this together. This is like so many amazing things happen right here, and we're back.
We're back, and I'm looking I'm looking at Miss Darbus to my left and you know, Cortman, and it's like, this is crazy, man, this is where we had all our basketball games and our practices. It was just it was it was overwhelming.
It was awesome, all right. So you you brought it up.
So we have to ask because not only did you bring it up, but Zach has brought it up now recently about the possibility of High School Musical four and how he would be down to do it. So is this something that you would be interested in doing? Have you heard anything about it? Is there anything in the works that you're not allowed to talk about that you can maybe not talk about.
I mean, what have you heard about high School Musical four? And if it does exist, would that be something you'd be interested in doing?
Oh? Yeah, absolutely, I think the time was wrong back then, because everyone was so interested in pursuing the next level and shouldn't have created the next thing that it's probably wise to kind of do that, And which was kind of funny because like like everybody was doing that, you know, like everybody thought they would go on to have Zach and Vanessa's career, you know.
So like everything, I feel like there was at least four of them that had record deals very soon after that, Like a lot of them were what is my next step after high school music?
Right? Right, and and so, and they were trying to distance themselves from the franchise sure, which I thought was a little like it's a little disappointing because it's like you you have nothing without these guys, you have without the span base, you wouldn't have any of these opportunities.
You know, it's that you do.
You get you get it, you get where they're coming from. But at the same time, you're like, come on, you know, I know, I know ezactly what you're talking about.
It's like and and maybe it's because I've been around a long time. I'm just like the old I've kind of seen it all, and it's like this opportunity, like this amount of love and like this fandom and like this special project is it's not gonna, it's probably never gonna.
He won the you won the lottery.
Yeah, Like, soak it up, enjoy it and like run with it, man, because it's it's pretty awes.
That's the wisdom of age. That's all that is.
I think. So, I think so and I and I don't blame them. I know that they're sure. And honestly, Zach had his hands full man like he en finess, so like they're like move after move like they were really.
I feel like I remember before the third one hearing that there was so much back and forth of whether or not they were going to do the third one at all. Right, there was a lot of Nope, Dak's not doing it, Vanessa's not doing it. Yes they're in, then they're out. I felt like I remember hearing that a lot within, just like people that I knew at the channel.
Yeah, it's true, and it was. It's I mean, the first movie was four million, I think the second one was six million, and then the third one was thirty five. So it was like yeah, yes, and then Theric else Yeah, and so I think, you know, yeah, you're totally right, by the way, that's exactly what was going on. And because no one was under contract, no one had to yeah, right, so that means like you got yeah, hey, like.
Yeah, they're signing forty five picture deals.
Now when they'd sign a kid, it's like, we've got you to your thirty exactly.
Oh yeah, yeah. They learned some lessons there for sure. So you're right, that's exactly what happened, and they finally, you know, I think I don't know. My sense is like Zach is like you hear what he's saying, and you hear him expressing gratitude for what that it's special and so I and he means it like that's it's awesome, but he's you know, he's trying to move forward to so.
Sure, right, yeah, I mean, I think I think it's fair for thinking of their age. Right the first time they make this, they made the movie there did Corbyn say he was fourteen fifteen years old?
He was a little old. I think, yeah, fifteen sixteen something.
Like that, you know, And then you're so you're also very highly influenced of like the people around you as well, you know, your managers, your publicists and stuff like that, and so yeah, you want to follow and you want to make the right decision, you know, but of course you loved doing what you were doing. It's so hard at that age to make that next choice decision, and there's so many people talking in your ear as well, you know, trying to advise.
Especially after the success of the first one, Like all the vultures come out and like all the agencies come out and they start filling your head. Oh this this, we got to trust me, you know, all that kind of stuff. So I thought, I mean, I thought they navigated it really really well. As far as like something in the works, I don't think there's anything that works
right now, but I think it's definitely a possibility. And I think if it came like if the right way, like if it happened the right way, like at the right you know, size and everything else, then I don't know if you guys noticed or not, but it was
supposed to be. You know, we did Disney Channel twice, you know, Disny Channel for number one, Channel number two, and then theatrical for number three, and they introduced three new characters the number three because they wanted to repeat the formula, and.
They wow that makes sense five on.
The because they're like, oh, if that works, like, let's do that again. So four and five and then theatrical again. But the the new characters just didn't take you know, nor excited about the new character. So I think that just like that kind of ended that.
Well, the cast is giant, it's so big to add three mores, Like, holy coal, there's a lot of characters actready here.
Right, and how do you how do you find a new zac eFront Like that's he's pretty special, you know, and as good looking is and everything. That's that's that's tough one. Yeahsa like that. They tried to, you know, get the two new cars. Well yeah, she was like kind of a Gema. She's super sweet, but she had to be like the shar Pei in the and you know, the Gabriella. So it's yeah, it didn't it didn't work. It didn't work.
Yeah, they try, Hey, they always try.
They were, hey, all the fans out there can after Zach said that, we're like chomping at the bit. So with the way it works nowadays, it takes off on social media. Disney obviously knows that they saw that, and I'm sure at some.
Level somewhere in one of their buildings.
The high School Musical for is being talked about, is being budgeted out somewhere, someone's doing a line by line for High School Musical Force somewhere.
I hope, So, I hope.
So.
I think it would be really fun, man. I think it would be an awesome thing to do for the fans worldwide.
It'd be really.
I mean, just to give back really more than anything of like this what you guys want, like here you go, there you go.
Yeah, I agree with you on that there is a point of giving back to the fans something that they deserve because they are so loyal. I mean, just again, you know, they're the best fans that you can ask for, So why not.
I also think, you know, especially in your in an acting career, fifteen twenty years after you've done something, you always look back at where you started. And I think, so it's a perfect time to say I am where I am right now, but I'm here because of this thing that people love, and it might be time for me to go back and dip my toe into that again. So it could the timing could work out.
You just never know absolutely, But it's like, think about what would it be there has to be conflict. Are you telling me they're going to come back? And and Gabriella and like, are they gonna be you know what's the conflict?
Don't throw it out there because I don't know. Don't throw it out there. I haven't seen the next two yet.
I haven't seen the next two yet, so I don't throw it out Well, this has been awesome.
We would love to have you back when for High School Musical two and three.
If you can come back and tell us some more stories, that would be great.
Beau love.
This has been amazing. This has been so cool, and please watch fuzz Bucket. I promise you will find you will.
Fully and watch it because she's literally not seen it, so got to sure she sees it too.
But thank you, thank you so much, and we will definitely be seeing you again.
Yes, last comment on here, says Coach Bolton for Life.
Yes, we've got our producers just Coach Bolton for Life.
All right, bye. Thank you.
Man, such a great guy.
I feel like we barely scratched the surface of the stories that he has too, and so I'm so excited that there's two more of these movies that go back and talk to him about that's really really cool.
It is interesting to think about too, because we've talked to mainly the actors that were the primary right, so
they were all really like younger actors. It is interesting to see and like get some insight on what that transition is like, you know, for him to say like, I'm the one that's used to being the one playing basketball and now I'm on the sideline coaching, you know, all of that, that's pre cool and I'm sure for him he just sat and just watched these young kids on set and just was like, oh man, you know, it's so cool to be a part of their journey. For sure.
I think so too.
And I think the chance of them of them not doing some sort of high school musical for again, if the cast is there and the money is there, yeah, Disney. Disney knows what they have. They're they're ready to They're ready to do that.
Oh yeah, I think it really. I'm sure it has to just be whether or not they can get the characters, because, like he said, the new ones, those didn't really have that that weight, and it's like if they can get all you know, if Ashley's down, Vanessa's down, Zach's down, Corbin MONI.
Like anything else in Hollywood, it's always about timing. That's just the way timing and money, that's just the way it works out. So and can we, for the love of God get this man yearbook? How does everybody else in the cast but Coach Bolton get a yearbook?
Come on real?
I cannot imagine.
It's so weird that disrespect for coach. I don't like it, and so not like that.
Disney on sets are so inclusive of everyone. That's like so shocking to me that they would do that, because that is so far from how the channel handles things.
People talk all the time about how Disney doesn't like to pay and Disney's very cheap, and a lot of that can can be true. But Disney is also an amazingly fun place to work. Yes, they care about the people that they're working with. They they really when they say the Disney family, they really mean the Disney family. You get to know everybody there. It is a really, really fun place to work. So I'm assuming this was
just an oversight. And right now, when this this podcast comes out, somebody is going to be mailing him his own get.
Him one guy's coming. He deserves it, Yes, for sure.
Well, thank you everybody so much for joining us for this park Copper episode. Thank you Bart Johnson. Just one awesome story after the next. I can't wait to have him back. I'm it's like, I'm so excited for the next movies that we're doing, but I'm now starting to kind of itch to start sequels equals, I know, because we've got a bunch that are coming out. I mean, I haven't seen Cheetah Girls too yet. I did you apparently do the old dance? And I think you kiss somebody?
And I'm I don't even want to I.
Don't want to know.
I don't know, you know, everyone asks me, I'm sure, as well as all the other Cheetah Girls, like, what's your favorite one? Right? And yeah, everything about the second one where we were filming the storylines that we had, everything like, the second one is my favorite. The first one, I'm like, I love it and it was so fun to watch, but the second one I cannot.
Wait to rewatch. Oh, I can't wait.
All right, it's my favorite.
Thank you again everyone for joining us for this Parkopper episode, And go back and watch High School Musical again. I loved it, I've did, and I can't wait to see the second one.
Go Wildcats, Thanks everybody, Bye,