Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is more progressive regarding race, diversity, and inclusion than all three of its original predecessors in the early 2000s. 50% of the character’s in the show are people of color.
Bubbling with humor, wit, and youth, this show presents characters of color in a way that feels natural to the world they are surrounded by. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series integrates the cultural backgrounds of each character in the show without displaying these differences as burdens or an “other.”
Gina & Kourtney
While at first existing mainly as side characters to main characters Ricky (Joshua Bassett) and Nini (Olivia Rodrigo), characters Gina and Kourtney have taken center stage throughout seasons two and three of the show. With the addition of more screen time, actresses Sofia Wylie and Dara Reneé have pushed costume and makeup teams to create natural hairstyles for Black women throughout each episode.
“Growing up, I was surrounded by people that didn’t look like me,” says Sofia Wylie in an interview with Gen-Zine, “so I never knew how to style my hair or embrace what I looked like, I was always trying to morph into what I thought was beautiful.”
Dara Reneé added that she and Wylie pushed for a Black hair stylist to be on set for season three to create more representation in an industry that usually does the bare minimum to style Black hair. In 2022, only 9.6% of the stylists are Black in the U.S., and rarely are they hired to be on set for Black actors, who only make up 12.9% of casts across the U.S. Diversity hasn’t been on the uptick.Black stylists were averaging between 10-11% in 2010, and the numbers have dropped yearly since then to the 9.6% it is now.
Reneé and Wylie’s emphasis on representation is not just crucial for current viewers of the show. Fans of the original High School Musical franchise also recognize the positive ramifications of this seemingly subtle change on the High School Musical universe. Monique Coleman, who played Taylor McKessie –– one of the few Black characters in the original films–– reflected last year on how hair and makeup crews were so inexperienced with Black hair that they made headbands a statement accessory for Coleman’s character. Rather than taking the extra time to adapt to the needs of a Black character and actress, they chose to erase an opportunity for representation by physically covering it up.
While Coleman’s character challenged many of Black representation’s shortcomings in the early 2000s, there still was a long way to go. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has built off of what she started in 2006 through characters such as Gina and Kourtney as they navigate the current atmosphere of representation within the industry.
Nini
This series is also inclusive of Asian identities, namely the main character Nini (Olivia Rodrigo), who is Filipino. Many fans find this identity reminiscent of High School Musical’s Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), who is also half Filipino and half white. Unlike the original films, the recent iteration of the series delves into Nini’s Filipino identity by bringing in a character named Malou, or more traditionally –– Lola. Lola is Nini’s grandmother, who reminisces about her time living in the Philippines in the first season with Nini’s family. Lola struck a special chord for audiences with Lolas of their own, offering wisdom like any grandmother.
“Hearing Nini call her grandma Lola is really something to hear in a show. I miss my Lola every day, and hearing her call her grandma made me smile,” writes one Twitter user in response to a recent episode.
Rodrigo commented on the show saying, “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series…did a really good job of really represent[ing] a diverse group of kids who come from different backgrounds, and have different sexual orientations and different ethnic makeup…that’s a lovely thing and…people are starting to realize that representation is really important.”
Carlos
The show’s most prominent ethnic character is Carlos (Frankie Rodriguez), who has a Latinx background. In season two, the group of friends throws Carlos a surprise quienceñero for his birthday. The whole episode centers around celebrating Carlos and his identity without tokenizing his background as a source of struggle or an isolating aspect of his personality.
This episode was quite moving for actor Frankie Rodriguez as he reflects on the importance of accurate cultural representation for the youth. “It’s such an experience to watch my culture in such a way,” says Frankie Rodriguez in an interview with Nerds of Color, “It’s just this celebrating…it’s this big group of friends coming together to show one person just how much they love [him]…and the message is [that it’s] because he’s 100% himself.”
Much like the rest of the representation within High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, the prominence of different backgrounds is so moving because it is represented in a natural, normal, and accepted way. The cultures and identities of every character within this show are celebrated unconditionally.
The crux is changing the entertainment industry to be more inclusive and representative of minorities and telling stories authentically. The show understands the significance of this and tells stories that include the “joys that come with [diversity]”so that all who watch will see parts of themselves reflected through the screen.
