Cool. Let's just talk about Dancing with the Stars for just a moment. Looking back, how was that whole experience? I mean what did you enjoy the most? Did you have any sweet behind the scenes Jerry Springer stories or anything?

Oh Jerry! I love Jerry! Jerry's my best friend. I'll start there. No I actually—getting to meet Jerry Springer was one of the most rewarding parts of that experience for me because his a television persona and image could not be more opposite than the man that he is. He is a businessman and entertainer and so very intelligent, it was—I really felt like I reaped a lot of wisdom from him, and learned just a lot about the business and he was the one who told me you know “Whatever you do, don't change the formula that you have right now. Don't get some big entourage, don't feel like you have to become anyone other than who you are because being who you are is how you'll stay in the business.” And I just thought, “Wow.” It's incredible so just ride the waves. So that experience as whole—I'm still dealing with it. I'm still kind of embracing what that was to this day. I feel like it was the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life, I was the biggest cry baby ever known myself to be ever. And I feel like I grew and what it did for me is that it showed me that if I put my mind to something, no matter what it is, that…and work really hard at it that I can accomplish to achieve anything and it was really cool. It was really neat because I came into it feeling like I wasn't a celebrity at all. And then it was a fluke that I got to even be on the show. But as the weeks went on I really felt like my performances were really earning my place and I became more confident based on how well I was doing on my own without having anything to fall back on in terms of celebrity. Everything that…that show kind of defined me and showed people who I was in the moment instead of you know, having some knowledge of me. If that makes any sense.


Cool. Yeah. So after the success of High School Musical, you have to kinda anticipate that there's gonna be a sequel coming along. Were you hesitant at all to sign for the sequel or were you kind of you know, just pumped to get right back in it?

I wasn't at all hesitant but I think that that has to do with the fact that well for one I feel really grateful for that role. I feel grateful to have been a part of something that did so well and really made history in a number of different ways. We made television history, we made TV history, we made music history, it was awesome. And so for me I feel like I wanted a career that it just goes on forever and ever and ever and this is a place to stop—how do I say this? I mean it like I feel like I feel like this isn't where I'm ultimately going to end up but the time that I'm here, I know that as quickly as you can get things, you lose them just as quickly, and I want to enjoy and embrace the same thing that this experience has brought with it. It was not a choice. It's not even a question to say “Do you wanna go back and do another one?” I feel like I worked so hard, I am the oldest one in the group and I've worked so very hard to get here that it's not—I don't—my head isn't big enough to feel like I'm better than High School Musical or that there's something else that I need to be doing right now, because I believe with every part of me that when this chapter's closed, I wanna complete the project before I move on to something else and when I do move on, that there are things that are bigger and better for me out there.


Filming High School Musical 2 back with the cast and crew, was there any—how was that experience and was there any pressure among you guys kind of living up to the first one?

I think that everyone kind of took it differently, coming back to do the sequel. I felt like we were in good hands. Kenny Ortega is one of the most incredible directors—people ever. And he is someone that just being around him kind of puts you in your place, grounds you and it was really about the work. We were so excited for the opportunity to get back and actually work with each other. We've spent literally a year and a half doing a lot of publicity and you know normally you do publicity before the movie comes out and this time we did it all afterwards because it was such a phenomenon. And so we spent all this time together just posing and taking pictures and doing interviews and being on tour was such an incredible experience but it wasn't the same as shooting a movie. So I felt like all that pressure and everything went aside when we realized the challenge we had at hand which was to learn some of the hardest dance numbers ever. And get back in there and just put our hearts and souls back into it and we really did.


Cool. Alright, well High School Musical premieres August 17 I believe. Can you tell us what the story is? What it's about, what fans can expect?

High School Musical 2 is definitely a different movie. I think that people would walk away with a different feeling than you did after the first one. The first one was so like just new and exciting and fun and the second one, now that you know these characters, you get to see them have a journey and sort of go through something. Everyone's character has an arc and experiences a different side of their personality. You can see Gabriella come out of her shell a little bit, a little less shy. You're gonna see my character be a little bit more free spirited, and more fun and knowledgeable about boys. You're gonna see Chad befriend someone you never would've expected to be friends with and everyone just kind of goes on their own and really kind of accepts the consequences of the choices that they've made last year.


Cool. Alright Monique, outside of High School Musical, is there anything upcoming for you…any future projects that you'd like to talk about?

Right now I'm actually taking a vacation. This has been such a whirlwind, this past year and a half that I'm taking the moment to just sort of let be what it is and experience it and figure out where I wanna live, and do like real normal people stuff before everything gets crazy again.


Cool. Alright, Monique. I appreciate you stopping by and you know we'll all be watching on August 17.

Toodle!


Thanks.


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-Interview conducted by Oscar Dahl
(Image courtesy of Disney Channel)