Grab your gowns and flip those tassels, the senior class at East High is graduating. But while Troy, Gabriella, and Sharpay might shed a few tears at the prospect of separating, not “High School Musical 3” star Zac Efron, who told MTV News that the chance to once again don a Wildcat jersey has him smiling - even if it is for the last time.
“‘High School Musical’ is unlike anything. No one can fully understand. It’s just all of us in a group having fun,” Efron insisted when we asked if returning for the last installment would be a bittersweet experience. “We really became best friends during this project, the whole cast. It’s like not even work. We just have the time of our lives out there.”
Part of that, of course, is a familiarity that borders on routine, which Efron said makes going back “no pressure.” But for the 20-year-old star trying to make his way as a more serious actor, in projects like “Seventeen Again” and “Me and Orson Wells,” part of the allure of returning to “High School Musical” is the chance to be, well, an unabashed kid.
“It’s exciting to go back and just sing cheesy songs and dance,” he chuckled.
It’s a pleasure Efron will get to experience for the last time, he said, confirming reports that “High School Musical 3” will be the very last installment in the insanely popular franchise.
“This is going to be the farewell to the East High Wildcats for a while. Senior year, graduation, this movie is the climax, it’s the third act, this is the legacy that we leave on East High,” Efron said. “I think it’s going to be a good way to go out with a bang.”
Are you a fan of “High School Musical”? What’s the one thing you’re hoping they wrap up before the series’ end? Sound off below.
January 30th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
omg i cant believe tht this is the end oh hsm i love this movie so freakin much they shouldnt cancel it util the east high students go to college ang graduate
January 30th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
omg i dont want it to end. i love the first and second one sooo much. im gunna miss it soo much after the 3rd on is over
January 30th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
awwwwwww nooooooooo i love hsm they need to cont on!! i love how it shows the tension b/w zac and vanessa they make a perfect couple!! man it was sooo fun!! keep the hsm going!!
January 30th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
this is soo sad!!
i hope that maybe they’ll make a new movie ( maybe musical, with the same cast ?! )
that way, we can all watch zac, vanessa, ashley, corbin and the rest.
if not, then i’ll just have to watch HSM over and over, to always remember this amazing unforgettable musical!
January 30th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
zac is so cute I can not belive it is ending I could cry
January 30th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
I´m just so happy for Zac, Vanessa, Ashley, Corbin, Lucas and the rest. It´s good to know that they are best friends (that´s something not ussual in Hollywood). I really hope that the script of the third movie will be good. Now these guys will make their true way to become serious actors, I´m almost sure that they can make it. And the best is that they are not like Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton (parties and drugs, but really good and healthy people. Kudos!
January 31st, 2008 at 2:19 am
Oh thank God, this crap series will finally end. I’m SICK of hearing about this cheesy movie.
January 31st, 2008 at 3:33 am
oh my god i cant belive that hhigh school musical is going ro end because it a great movie i love the songs acts actress most of all, all of it so please dont end i think that zac and carbin is sexy
January 31st, 2008 at 4:46 am
i love zac im his biggest fna i have been told by so many ppl awwwwwww no more zac im going to meet him anywaz xxx
January 31st, 2008 at 7:54 am
oh my god i can belive that zac it is ending i could cry i think he can play the musical just his musical and vanessa hudgens that can be cool
January 31st, 2008 at 10:49 am
I love HSM as much as the next Disney fan, but I won’t be crying buckets either. It’s come to an end because you don’t want HSM wearing out their welcome; I mean, can you imagine a 23-year old Zac Efron filming a HSM 6: East River University!
Nope. It’s time for them all to move on to other projects.
January 31st, 2008 at 12:24 pm
i luv hsm and really dont want it to end!!! I really luv zac! Dont leave!!
January 31st, 2008 at 12:34 pm
oh no… why can’t they continue on to college… i love this movie soooo much…
January 31st, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Whaaaaaat!!!!!! ya’ll can’t stop hsm!!!! All those fans!!! And me….. Well this isn’t about me!! All those kids and even older peole are enspired!! Well i dout dat i can reali do anything!!! Honestly rite now am lisetning 2 ua C.D!! But if this is what u want den GO FOR IT!! I no dat all of u will do wat u think is rite!!! Hope to see u guys soon!! LUV YA’LL
January 31st, 2008 at 12:44 pm
OMG this is the last chance we get to see that hottie zac efron and all the other wildcats… i so do not want this to be the third and final!!! The movies are just gr8… although im glad to see zac efron is making a recovery frm hospital and going to be in different films!!!! Sad to say that we might not see the gang on tv/dvd again!! high school musical is great also i agree with michelle that they should go no to college for a fourth movie.
January 31st, 2008 at 1:11 pm
i can’t believe hsm is ending. it’s actually kind of sad. i probably will end up crying at the end. they are such good movies. zac, lucas, corbin, and ashley are amazing
January 31st, 2008 at 1:36 pm
well we all know it was going to end one day
it is nice the cast are friends but know everyone
is going to a diffrent directings
January 31st, 2008 at 1:48 pm
why u have 2 go plzzzzzzz i love u sooooooooo much
January 31st, 2008 at 2:10 pm
i lyke all of da cast nd i beg god 2 let u nd da cast get frough 2 high school musical 3,coz i lyke all da high musicals nd i fink all ov u gt talent!!!!!!!!!
January 31st, 2008 at 2:45 pm
u cant ever for get the movie but i no u wont but it is sill sad to hear that the movie is at its last. but i will rember the movi evar
January 31st, 2008 at 3:21 pm
this sucks aww man, well i hope they lots of other movies, going to miss it
January 31st, 2008 at 3:57 pm
it is so sad all the cast are not going to be in the third movie zac is so hot !!!!!!!!!!
January 31st, 2008 at 6:01 pm
YOU ARE SO CUTE ZAC EFRON I LOVE YOU SO MUCH YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD ACTOR
January 31st, 2008 at 10:47 pm
I LIKE ZAC EFRON TOO, IN THE MOVIE I WANT TO SEE MORE KISSING SCENCES OF ZAC AND VANNESA, I WANT ZAC TO ASK VANNESA OR GRABIELLA TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND!!!!!!!!!!:)
:) 
:) 
:) 
:) 
January 31st, 2008 at 10:53 pm
i hate that this is the last high school musical but im happy that all the cast will be back and i cant wait until HSM 3
February 1st, 2008 at 8:08 am
hi zac im your bigist fan i love u so much and i love ashley tisdale 2 i think vanessa is lovely but discusting showing her naked body on google i think you should go out with ashley x miss u loads x hope to see u on other films x danielle
February 1st, 2008 at 11:01 am
Ok, first of all, ALL of the cast members are going to be in HSM 3 INCLUDING VANESSA HUDGENS! Also, everyone needs ot stop saying who Zac should be with because it’s not your choice, whether you like it or not. We need ot respect his decision and let him be happy with who he wants to be with. SOOOOOOOOO…. whoever he choses we need to leave him alone and stop telling him who we think he should be with. I’m happy for him no matter what, whether I like who he’s dating or not (but I LOVE vanessa)! But good luck to the HSM cast for your last film and I can’t wait to see it!
February 1st, 2008 at 11:07 am
OK, first of all, everyone needs to stop saying who they think that Zac should be with, although many of us want it one way. It’s his choice, his life, and we all need to be happy for him no matter what. So if he want’s to be with Vanessa, or Ashley, or whomever, we just need ot be happy for him. If all of you love Zac as much as you say you do, then let him be happy and let him choose who he wants. Other than that, I just want to say that I
February 1st, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Ugh. They don’t need three. What’s next, College musical?
February 1st, 2008 at 1:22 pm
hey i want zac to be on there and Vanessa i will not watch it unless they are on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 1st, 2008 at 2:00 pm
sorry iam am your big fan
February 1st, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Unfortunatly the hsm series will end and im going to miss zac’s sexyness…who i love by the way… but i would like to see sharpay nd zeke get together in hsm3!
February 1st, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Dear Zac Efron,
I think you so hot in a good way
February 1st, 2008 at 10:33 pm
i would like 2 see a spark in sharpay and troy (stronger than the one in HSM2) and maybe even a kiss between them because they just look so cute together.
February 1st, 2008 at 11:06 pm
okay, ZAC EFRON SUX AS AN ACTOR AND A SINGER AND HE IS SOOOOOOOOOO NOT HOT HES HIDEOUS!!! Specially in th@ picture. HSM is so CORNY and their making a 3rd one? only becuz they hav lost it entirly! I mean, wasnt the 2nd one bad enuf! I no None of u agree wit me, but ZAC, VANESSA, ASHLEy, CORBIN (specially corbin), Monique and all the rest of the cast SUX, DISNEY CHANNEL JUST SUX GET TH@ THRU UR HEDS OKAY!!!
February 1st, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I agree with you! I know doesn’t it just suck? I hate it too, but not for the same reasons I dont think, I just think their all really bad actors and actresses
February 1st, 2008 at 11:23 pm
PS. ITS SUCH A COPY OF GREASE!!! AND GREASE IS ONE OF THE BEST MUSICALS EVER (one of) and it duznt deserve 2 b ridiculed by such mediocrity such as “High School Musical” UGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
February 1st, 2008 at 11:54 pm
PSSHHH WHAT EVER BITCHES!! YALL HATIN ON ZACK AND HIGHSCHOOL MUSICAL IS A GOOD MOVIE INSIDE ITS CATEGORY I MEAN..WHO DOESNT KNOW ABOUT HIGHSCHOOL MUSICAL?? AND IF ZACK AND VANESSA ARE NOT IN THE MOVIE HIGHSCHOOL MUSICAL WILL BE RUINED! SO ZACK YOU ROCK! AND KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO!
February 2nd, 2008 at 12:07 am
I have seen the first two. First one is still the best. They really screwed up Part II because they had Zac and Vanessa get back in the end. If they hadn’t done that they would have stuck to traditional trilogies. First Act (Part I) the happy act, Act II (Part II) everything is suppossed to go to hell and have Ashely win for once. Then Part III they tie it up with a fight and Zac gets Vanessa in the end of Part III. they had a good formula at first, but right when Vanessa showed up at the end of part II, it got screwed up because she forgave him. If she hadn’t everyone would be like “well will he try to get her back?” wtf i still will see it, maybe one of them gets hit my an astroid and it turns in to Star Wars The Musical.
February 2nd, 2008 at 5:37 am
bye ZAC EFRON I thought U were the best I love U to
February 2nd, 2008 at 10:22 am
Omg! person and pablo! what a lod of rubbish i mean im 21 and love it! the film is nothing like grease and nothing ever will be get a life grab some popcorn and watch hsm3¬! lol xx chow
February 2nd, 2008 at 11:07 am
Hi its 3 huge fans of urs we totally adore u we you really really hot mwa please reply we love you our numbers are 0781448684,0785241686,and 0783850696 please phone us we are extremely HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just like YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 2nd, 2008 at 11:31 am
hi, iam morad i live in lebanon and i love highschoolmusical and i wich to be highschoolmusical 3 because i love his musice so, plz show highmusical 3 ok and i love troy and gabreyala and esy and ashley bye
February 2nd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Heyy That Issa Loada Crapp Hes Not Doin It Cus He Put Naked Pics Of Vanessa On Disney Channel So You Knoo But I Think What Theyve Dub Bout HCM Is Way Ott Like Tops Nd Stuff !!! IT AINT LIKE GREESE HAS TOP , SHOES , SUNGLASSES , GAMES !!!! Get A Lifee !!!
February 2nd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
hi hsm2 and3 i dont wat n 1 2 leave plzzzzzzzzzzzzzz i vuv u soo much east high school omg there a 3 one coming up thanxx i uvv u ghys
form the bff
February 4th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Omg, i dont want it to end…but maybe they should do like a big reunion where after they’re out of hs all the east high wild cats come back together…and stuff…but anyways I would want Troy and Gabriella to get engaged, i know their so young, but it would be so awesome
March 1st, 2008 at 8:57 am
i’m soo sad! :’( they can’t give an end to this movie!!!
when i’ll see the 3rd movie i’m sure that i’ll cry!
i’m absolutly addicted TO THIS MOVIE!
and i’m so excited but at the same time i’m sad for the première of HSM3, ’cause i know that it’ll be the last movie!!!
PLEASE, YOU MUST KEEP HSM!!!!!!!!!
All this fans… PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!
& i’m sorry if my english is too bad!! i’m portuGuese…
March 5th, 2008 at 6:52 am
well let’s just hope that sharpay will really know the meaning of true friendship. i love that character! she so wickedly mean and yet in the end she’s this timid girl that you would want to befriend. sigh! i can’t believe this will be the last one.
March 6th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I omg I can’t believe the last of the HSM well I hope they have a great time making it and I hope they really do go out with a bang.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
OMG i cant belive ZAC EFRON could leave HSM!!