Zac efron returns as troy in "High School Musical 3: Senior Year"

In Walt Disney Pictures’ new musical comedy “High School Musical 3: Senior Year,” teen heartthrob Zac Efron reprises the role of Troy Bolton – everyone’s favorite all-around nice guy — that he created in the international smash hit “High School Musical” and its record-breaking sequel, “HSM 2.”

“One of the untold stories of the High School Musical franchise is how talented the cast really is,” says screenwriter Peter Barsocchini. “Yes, they’ve all become teen idols. But they’re good young actors. Our principal cast headed by Zac has molded those characters into something that kids love. That’s the secret.”

“High School Musical 3: Senior Year” finds high school seniors Troy and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) facing the prospect of separation as they head off to different colleges. Joined by the rest of the Wildcats, they stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences, hopes and fears about the future. With incredible new music and exciting dance numbers designed to take maximum advantage of the big screen, this motion picture extravaganza delivers plenty of high-energy entertainment from East High’s talented ensemble. 

“I’m very excited for ‘High School Musical 3’ to be on the big screen,” says Efron. “This is what we’ve been waiting for, what we’ve been working towards, and it feels great because I feel like we earned it. We’re just regular kids that made ‘High School Musical’ and now it’s progressing.”

Efron has grown up with his character. “Troy is a lot of different things,” he says. “He’s a very average kid going through high school, dealing with every day choices. But the fun thing about him is that he’s got these hidden talents. So Troy’s got a lot to balance: his basketball career, his newfound love of singing… Then what’ll happen to him, Gabriella and the rest of the gang after high school? You don’t know. It’s like typical high school drama that we get to sing about.”

Speaking of songs, Zac has several standout numbers in the new film. “I have a great number with Corbin Bleu that we filmed in a junkyard, which was an amazing setting and was definitely the hardest dancing I’ve ever done in my life. I also sing a song called ‘Scream,’ which is a rock balled, and it’s about confusion and the decisions we all have to make. There are also some great songs that Troy sings with Gabriella, but I’m not meant to give too much away,” Efron laughs.

According to Barsocchini, the Troy character was inspired by the great football player Lynn Swan. Barsocchini went to high school with Swan; they played on the same basketball team. “One day we were riding on a bus to a game and he said ‘You know, I’d really like to try ballet,’” says Barsocchini.

“There’s the character. There’s so much pressure on kids to be cool that it’s tough to do something different. One of the big lessons from the ‘HSM’ movies is to break stereotypes. The power forward wants to be a pastry chef. The star basketball player wants to be a thespian. The message to children is that you can be whatever you want to be.”

Opening across the Philippines on Friday, Oct. 24, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.