For the cast of High School Musical, one can only imagine that it was a strange experience to go from being virtual unknowns to household names.  When it premiered in 2006, it became the highest rated program on The Disney Channel of all time, bringing in close to 8 million viewers.  10 million more tuned in for the sequel the following year and currently, High School Musical 3 is the #1 movie at the box office.  These days, cast members can't seem to go anywhere without being followed by the paparazzi or being mobbed by fans.  This week, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu opened up about become celebrities and how they've dealt with fame over the years.

Tisdale reminisced about one of the first times that she realized just how famous High School Musical had made her. She attended a concert for The Cheetah Girls, friends of hers from The Disney Channel, and the crowd noticed her in the audience. "They were chanting, `Ashley, Ashley.' I thought Ashley Simpson was in the audience," Tisdale said. Ashley says that working with Disney, and being in High School Musical, has given her everything she ever wanted. "It has given us a lot of opportunities to work and travel," she said. "The fans are so amazing."

Corbin Bleu may have found fame thanks to High School Musical but he does not let it go to his head. "I've always kept a pretty sane head about it," Bleu said. "I am all about the work I do. Not about being famous." His first memory of fame came when he visited a carnival in Hawaii while on a break from filming a television show. It was right after High School Musical had premiered on The Disney Channel and he was mobbed with fans. "It was very weird but very fun," he said.

Tisdale and Bleu both admitted that they don’t mind when they’re approached by their fans. Corbin puts out a little more of an effort to go incognito when he’s in public, pulling his hair back and wearing hoodies, but both are always willing to stop to sign autographs and pose for pics with the young fans that look up to them.


- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: The Hartford Courant
(Image courtesy of AP)