It's hard to believe 10 years have passed since we first saw Gabrielle and Troy fall in love with each other through song. But when the stars of High School Musical (minus Zac Efron) gathered for their 10-year reunion on the Disney Channel Wednesday night, their first innocent days together did seem like a lifetime ago. Not that Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, and Corbin Bleu couldn't still pass as high schoolers if they wanted to.
During the anniversary special, Coleman held a tablet with clips from the actors' auditions for the movie from 2005. First she showed Tisdale and Grabeel, doing their first haughty scene together as Sharpay and Ryan, complete with some adorably dorky dance moves. Then she moved on to Hudgens and Efron.
In the clip, Hudgens instantly captures that innocence and wonder of Gabrielle as she tells Efron (Troy), "Do you remember in kindergarten, how you’d meet a kid and know absolutely nothing about them, and then 10 seconds later, you’re playing like you’re best friends, because you didn’t have to be anything but yourself? Singing with you felt like that."
While Hudgens let out an embarrassed squeal while watching herself, her co-stars sang her praises.
"You're so sweet and beautiful and perfect," Coleman (Taylor) said.
"That was it! And you booked the job," Tisdale added. Pretty much. (It was also the beginning of a five-year off-screen relationship with Efron.)
Efron sent in a pre-taped message for the special, telling his co-stars and fans. "Hey guys, I'm so sorry that I couldn't be there in person but I’m with you all in spirit. My favorite scene from the movie has to be 'We’re All in This Together.' The unity, the whole cast in that moment was just really, really fun. I’ll never forget that memory. It's embedded in my mind as one of the most beautiful days of my entire life."