Vanessa Hudins, who plays Gabriella, is that classic old school of like the late 90s, early 2000s of like the geeky girl where like she >> the geeky girl but with the Disney curls >> but beautiful like conventionally beautiful, stunning, perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect makeup, but wearing um a jacket and holding a book.
So, you know, she’s nerdy. >> She’s really really nerdy. Also, after re-watching High School Musical, I didn’t realize how much of a picnic girl she is. >> Yeah. Yeah, but she’s so young and you were so young. >> No, but she’s full pick me. I’ve written some quotes that we’ll get to a bit later. >> Oh, I don’t want to shatter your childhood dreams, but you’re doing it to yourself.
>> Gabriella is a new student at this school. Because of her mom’s job, she has to move around a lot, but then her mom says that the my bosses have promised that I won’t have to move until you graduate. And she was like, “Okay.” So, she’s at this new school. She’s super super nervous. Her whole thing was like to get around the school curriculum >> before she like joins any extracurricular club.
And this is where we get the first taste of the pickme, right? Okay. >> So, she says, I quote, I don’t want to be the school’s freaky genius girl again. Like, calm down. >> Again, it’s such a classic um of this like era thing of like, I just want to be like the smart girl who like wins all your >> She’s like, I don’t want to be the freaky genius girl again.
So, it’s happened in the past school. And in her first science lesson, she goes to the teacher, “Shouldn’t that equation be 16 over pi? Shut your damn mouth. [laughter] You liar and a cheater. You’re a liar and a cheater and you don’t deserve Troy Bolton.” >> Wow. It’s like she couldn’t even hold it in for the lesson.
Also, that teacher is probably just very underpaid and underworked and she’s having to protect all >> and also that teacher was pregnant. >> Oh. Oh my gosh. So, she took a shot at a pregnant woman. Sorry. She’s the villain of this story. >> Yeah. And she also hates women cuz then she became [laughter] >> she became friends with Taylor McKenzie who is played by Manique Coleman.
She was actually 25 years old when she played this role. I would believe it. >> And I remember this so specifically cuz when me and my cousins found this out, we were like, “Oh my god, that old hag. God, >> a 25year-old. >> I’m glad 17y old.” >> I’m glad you weren’t watching any actual teen shows of that time. >> Oh yeah. No.
No. I was this was my first one >> in 2006 all and that was like the huge height of teen shows like coming off like Beverly Hills and into like the OC and One Tree Hill. There were like 28-year-olds in the mix. >> Yeah. >> Playing 15y olds. >> Absolutely thrown me. And then I just remember me and my cousins going, “Oh my god, look.” >> It’s cuz they can work longer hours.
Like hiring teens to be in teen shows is hard because they can work longer hours if you’re an adult. And also teens are often going through that like awkward stage like acne like growing at different things, hair being wild. So, if they get people to be in the roles in their like late 20ies, they’ve usually matured, have some plastic surgery, their makeup and hair is all fixed, and they look more like what a teenage student should look like in Hollywood’s eyes.
>> I would just messed up. >> It’s so messed up. And I feel so bad because she has turned out to be like such a good person. I remember I think it was like 2021 where she came out and said that her experience in High School Musical was great, but also like her character had to always wear headbands because the crew weren’t prepared to like work with black hair.
>> Yeah. >> And I’m like that must suck. And then also she ended up joining like the UN Youth Commission and she like traveled around the world. I remember her coming to Australia and she would speak at schools like she spoke at um South Sydney Grammar about like [snorts] um youth and like the importance of like safety on internet and stuff like that.
And she just like did so so much after High School Musical in terms of like politics and stuff like that. >> Impressive. >> And then when I was like 9 years old I was like why aren’t you 25? That’s really going to stay with me. So she becomes friends with Taylor McKenzie. They randomly hate cheerleaders. Taylor’s like, “Do you want to hang out with these guys?” And she was like, “I guess I don’t know how to speak cheerleader unless you want to talk about nail beds all day.
” They’re not girls girls. That’s what I’m going to say about that. >> That it’s Yeah. No, no, I agree with you. Not girls girls. And Gabriella does. She is coming across like the villain of the story. However, that was at the time that’s the was the like the ideal high school girl in a movie. >> She’s so cool, >> beautiful, doesn’t know it, super smart, like doesn’t like what the other girls likes, you know, all that sort of stuff.
And then we get to the singing issue. >> So Troy and Gabriella, they go to the auditions for the musical. >> Sharpi Evans and Ryan Evans. This is their musical. >> Yeah. >> Played by Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grail. Also, have you heard the recent interview Lucas has gave from the 20? >> Yeah.
No, I’m AC everything about their meeting because Ashley Tisdale and can I just say given the recent events >> of the whole mom group drama and like everyone turning on her, everything she has said about Lucas over the last two decades has all of a sudden not aged very well. >> No, no, no, no. >> The wait is finally over. For the first time since 2022, the El Macko range is back at Mackers.
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Try today at your local Mackers or in the My Mackers app. >> She was the one who initially said, she said this over a decade ago, that we never got along through the all the movies. I think by the third movie they started to become friends. They never got along. They even said they hated each other. At this point in time, I’m sure she’s just like, “Please stop talking. It’s coming out not great.
” >> Yeah. So, Lucas did an interview where he talked about their audition and he pretty much said that Ashley Tisdale was exactly like Sharpi. >> I believe that character. [laughter] She played that role like so well, especially for kids who were like Disney Channel kids cuz I saw her in Sweet Life of Zach and Cody and I really liked her because she she played Maddie who was like the complete opposite of Shar.
Yeah. Complete opposite. >> Wow. I just assume cuz I only know her as that like highly strong, intense overachiever character. >> Yeah. No. So, we’re at the auditions. Troy and Gabriella. Miss Okay. Mas is a bit of a Oh, but she’s just like a quintessential quirky theater teacher. The thing is, you’ve got to think she’s like Mr. Shoe from Glee.
She doesn’t want to be there. Wanted to be a star. Didn’t happen. Now she’s teaching kids. >> Yeah. >> And I’m like, surely you’re sick of Sharpi and Ryan. >> No, she loves them. Can I tell you why she I 100% agree that she would love them. And I’m very much on their side throughout this whole movie because they’re the talented ones.
They’re the ones who put in the work. Like they’re the drama kids who she’s probably looking for. So she has all these other kids coming in mcking around. They get up on stage, they can’t sing, they can’t move, and all she wants to do is put on a big production. That’s her entire life. And then inlocks these two kids who can sing and dance so well.
It has to be said and who are actual like little stars. Yeah. No wonder she’s so excited when they come into their audition songs. She’s like, “Thank someone who can sing in this whole school.” I’m on [laughter] her side. >> But also the other people who audition could sing quite well. Like the opera singer. >> Yeah. Not as good as as Shar.
What about that guy who just came and did cartwheels on the stage and >> great he’s not making it >> but then she was like >> anybody else want to audition? Anybody else? And then it was like pause and then she starts packing up and then Gabrielle’s like I want to audition miss and then she was like no. >> She’s like sorry I’ve got my lead.
>> The singles auditions are done. And then Zach’s like Zack Troy. [laughter] >> It’s pretty interchangeable. >> Pretty interchangeable. Troy’s like I’ll sing with her and she’s like you will not make a mockery out of me boy. M well she’s probably like he’s a sports star he can’t sing and also fair enough fair enough assumption >> and then she leaves and then Kelsey she was at the piano she drops all the music and then Troy and Gabrielle are like I guess we’ll help you.
So they run up to the piano and start packing away and they had a bit of a discussion and then Kelsey’s like sing my song and then they’re like okay and then they sang it the way she wanted it to be sung like slow even though Ryan Shape’s version is better. >> Okay. Are you talking about bop to the top? Is that >> No, I’m talking about what I’ve been looking for.
>> What I’ve been looking for Sorry that song >> was like clicking. Yeah. Yeah. [laughter] >> And they do the Sorry. They’re so good in that song. >> The Jazz Squares. The Jazz Squares. >> Yeah. Their version is better. And I’ll Die on That Hill all the way through. They’re better performers than Troy and Gabrielle.
>> I will give them that. But little do they know Miss Arbus was listening in the background. [gasps and laughter] >> She’s always there. >> She’s like the Phantom of the Opera. She’s just lurking >> lurking in the background. Can’t see her. >> And then she’s like, “Troy, Gabriella, I’ll see you at callbacks.
” And [gasps] then they were like, “What did we just do?” >> This movie is really just a cautionary tale about that sometimes you can be the most talent and do the most work and someone with a gimmick will come in and just overtake you because >> the lead sports star of your school will just take everything from you. >> Sharpi has come in, can sing, can dance on quue, take stage direction, can act, >> should have.
>> She doesn’t like Kelsey though, who writes the songs. >> Yeah. Well, I’ve got some beef with Kelsey, too, because apparently she can only write like a very specific kind of ballad and she’s not willing to [laughter] creatively work with others. >> Being in a school, were you even in musicals in high school? >> That wasn’t good enough.
I was backstage. >> Okay. Well, I was in many musicals and can I just tell you that it tried a lot of >> Well, I’m just back in so much drama. >> And you never made it. >> No. Which sucks because like I I think it was the acting. Oh, >> cuz I did singing in school and they always wanted me in like the big choirs and stuff like that, but like when it came to actually musicals, they were just like, “No, thank you.
>> This isn’t for you.” [laughter] And I was like, “Oh, okay. Got it.” >> So, it’s a lot of work. >> It’s a lot your only like thing that you do. >> I know, girl. I was backstage. >> Well, we need backstage people, too, for the stars on stage. Um, and I Yeah, I just don’t think they were going to commit.
And also, I just don’t think they wanted to be in a musical. >> Yeah. >> So, it’s really a tragedy if you look at that way. It’s a tragedy on behalf of Sharpe Evans, which can I say you didn’t ask, but is my favorite character. >> Sharp Evans is your favorite character. >> 10 out of 10. Love her so much. >> Even in High School Musical 2.
>> Yeah, especially in High High School Musical 2. That’s when she has the big number. >> Yeah. Fabulous. >> And she’s like back on the the lawn chair and she wore the pink and everything. Even when she gets out of that car with all her stuff and like runs into like the um the holiday club thing there and she’s like, “You would not believe what happened.
” >> Yeah. >> We didn’t get the leads in the musical. I’m like, “Yeah, you’ve been through trauma.” >> I love her. 10 out of 10. Ashley Tis I’m on the fence about but Shai Evans
Rewatching High School Musical Reveals the Dark Truth About Gabriella Montez We All Missed
Article:
The neon lights of the auditorium are dim, the piano chords of an iconic ballad are just beginning to resonate, and a collective wave of nostalgia washes over a generation. For millions of people, High School Musical is a sacred text of the mid-2000s—a brightly colored, choreographed dream where basketball stars and mathletes could defy the status quo to find love and song. But what if the person we were supposed to be cheering for was actually the antagonist the whole time? What if the “geeky girl next door” with the perfect hair and the impossible grades was playing a much more calculated game than we realized?
To understand the full scope of the narrative, we have to look past the Disney filters and the infectious pop tracks. We have to analyze the behavior of Gabriella Montez, the new girl who arrived at East High with a bag full of books and a mission that seems, on the surface, to be about fitting in. But as we peel back the layers of her arrival, a different, more complicated, and perhaps slightly villainous portrait begins to emerge.
The Myth of the “Pick-Me” Girl
When we first meet Gabriella, she is introduced through the quintessential early 2000s trope: the “nerdy girl” who is actually, by all Hollywood standards, stunningly beautiful. She has the Disney curls, the perfect skin, and a wardrobe that screams “academic” without ever losing that polished aesthetic. She walks through the halls holding a book like a shield, signaling to everyone that she is smart, she is different, and she is not like the other girls.
Almost immediately, the “pick-me” energy makes its presence known. In a scene early in the film, she explicitly states, “I don’t want to be the school’s freaky genius girl again.” It is a classic narrative device of that era: the humble-brag masquerading as a plea for normalcy. She claims she wants to stay under the radar, yet her actions tell a very different story.
In her very first science class, she isn’t content to simply blend in or learn the curriculum. Instead, she feels compelled to correct the teacher in front of the entire class, pointing out a mistake in an equation with a smugness that suggests she is not just smart—she is the only one who matters. It is a moment that feels less like genuine intellectual curiosity and more like a power move. And consider the target: a teacher who is clearly overwhelmed and, as it is revealed, pregnant. In one breath, Gabriella manages to alienate her peers and undermine a woman who is just trying to do her job.
The Destruction of Social Boundaries
Gabriella’s friendship with Taylor McKenzie, while framed as a bonding moment for two intelligent women, serves as another pillar in her crusade against the status quo. Instead of trying to understand the different social groups at East High, she and Taylor essentially treat the cheerleaders and other students with disdain. She famously quips about not knowing how to “speak cheerleader” unless the conversation involves nail beds, effectively gatekeeping what it means to be a “real” girl.
By positioning herself as superior to the “shallow” popular crowd, Gabriella alienates large swathes of her own school community. She isn’t building bridges; she is drawing battle lines. Her “not like other girls” attitude is a cornerstone of her character, reinforcing an exclusionary narrative that we’ve spent years romanticizing.
What would you have done in this situation? If you were a student at East High, would you have felt intimidated by this new girl who seemed determined to be the smartest, the most talented, and the most virtuous person in the room?
The Audition That Changed Everything
The heart of the High School Musical drama, of course, centers on the auditions for the winter musical. We are conditioned to view Sharpay and Ryan Evans as the spoiled, entitled villains, desperate to keep their crown. But when we look at their behavior through a professional lens, a completely different reality appears.
Sharpay and Ryan are the theater kids who have done the work. They have practiced, they have trained, and they understand the discipline required for a production. Their teacher, Ms. Darbus, is a quintessential theater educator—high-strung, passionate, and perhaps a bit frustrated by a student body that doesn’t share her commitment to the craft.
When Troy and Gabriella waltz into the auditions, they aren’t just crashing a party; they are hijacking a process that was never meant for them. They have no theater background, no rehearsal time, and no respect for the hierarchy that Sharpay has spent years cultivating. Yet, Ms. Darbus, blinded by the novelty of a “star” athlete singing, throws away the established rules to accommodate them.
The tragedy of this sequence is the erasure of Sharpay’s effort. She is a talented performer who takes stage direction, acts, and dances on cue. She is the professional in the room. But because the star basketball player decides he wants to try something new, the spotlight is snatched away from the people who actually spent their lives preparing for it. Gabriella and Troy aren’t “breaking the mold”—they are participating in the age-old tradition of the popular kid deciding they want a piece of the arts and having it handed to them on a silver platter.
The Tragedy of Sharpay Evans
If we are being honest, Sharpay Evans is the most misunderstood character in cinematic history. She has a clear vision, she works incredibly hard, and she is passionate about her craft. Her “villainy” is mostly just a defense mechanism against people like Gabriella who treat her world like a playground for their own personal development.
Look at the sequel, where Sharpay’s dedication to her work is even more pronounced. She is a character who knows what she wants and goes after it. That isn’t being a villain; that is being ambitious. The fact that we have spent decades painting her as the antagonist says more about our discomfort with ambitious women than it does about her actual actions. She is the star of her own life, and the interruption of that journey by two amateurs is, quite frankly, an injustice.
The music, the dance numbers, the drama—it all looks different when you stop viewing it through the eyes of the protagonist. You start to see the cracks in the facade. You start to notice the way Gabriella moves through the school with an air of entitlement, assuming that her desires supersede the needs of everyone else.
As the story reaches its climax, we are left to wonder about the lasting impact of her behavior. Did she ever really apologize to the theater department for the disruption? Did she ever acknowledge that her path to the lead role wasn’t built on merit alone, but on a lucky break and a teacher who was easily swayed by fame?
The mystery at the core of this re-watch is why we ever accepted the narrative as it was presented to us. We were sold a story about breaking barriers, but in reality, we were watching a masterclass in social manipulation. Gabriella Montez wasn’t just a student; she was the architect of her own social ascent, regardless of who she stepped on to get there.
Is it possible that we’ve been wrong about the hero of East High for nearly twenty years? If you re-watch the movie today, focus on the reactions of the background characters. Watch the faces of the students who aren’t the focus of the song. You’ll see a different story unfold—one of frustration, of ignored effort, and of a hierarchy being toppled by someone who didn’t respect the foundation.
A New Perspective
The lens through which we view our childhood memories is rarely static. As we grow, our understanding of power dynamics, social roles, and professional etiquette changes. What seemed like a romantic, rebellious act at age ten now looks like a lack of boundaries at age twenty-five.
We look back at these characters and realize they were products of their time, but also agents of their own choices. Gabriella made choices. She chose to ignore social norms, she chose to undermine her peers, and she chose to prioritize her desire for fame over the community of the school.
This is the great “open loop” of our generation’s pop culture: the realization that the person we were told was the hero might have been the problem all along. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but it’s one that makes for the most interesting conversations. It forces us to ask: do we value the struggle and the hard work of the dedicated, or do we value the charismatic outsider who just wants to take the crown?
Ultimately, High School Musical is a cautionary tale, though perhaps not the one we were taught. It is a story about how easily we are swayed by a charming face and a sweet voice, and how quickly we are willing to discard the reality of others to sustain our own idealized version of the world.
The next time you hear that opening piano riff, don’t just sing along. Pay attention to the background. Watch the way the characters interact when the cameras aren’t zoomed in on the protagonists. You might just find that the villain was hiding in plain sight, smiling the entire time.
What about you? Have your feelings about your favorite childhood characters changed as you’ve gotten older? Does a re-watch reveal a secret villain you never noticed before, or are you still Team Gabriella? Share your thoughts and join the discussion below.
