High School Oldies Series! Where are they now? (SEE THEIR UPDATES HERE)

1. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

The 2006 ever trending High musical series added spice to our childhood as it made millennials obsessed.

The romance and lyrics had captivated the attention of the youths.

Between song and dance numbers like “Get’cha Head in the Game,” “Stick to the Status Quo” and “Breaking Free,” the movie had us feeling like we could truly overcome our fears and conquer the world.

 

Zac Efron

Zachary David Alexander Efron was born October 18, 1987. He is an American actor.

Efron was on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2008 at number 92, with estimated earnings of $5.8 million from June 2007 to June 2008.

In April 2009, his personal wealth equaled about $10 million.

In May 2015, Efron’s net worth was $18 million.

In March 2014, Efron engaged in a fight with a homeless man on Skid Row. Law enforcement officials did not make any arrests because they viewed it as mutual combat.

Efron turned to transcendental meditation (TM) to help decompress after struggling to separate himself from his role as serial killer Ted Bundy in his movie. “I really love TM, transcendental meditation. I did TM on the way home. Not while driving, but when you’re shooting a movie, one thing we can afford is a ride home, so on the way home I just do some TM and try to phase out of it.”.

Efron moved to Australia after selling his Los Angeles home in early 2021 and purchased a property in Byron Bay while working on a number of projects there.

Efron sought treatment in early 2013 after struggling with alcoholism and substance abuse. He has been sober since June 2013.

In November 2013, Efron had to have his jaw wired shut after breaking it in a fall at home.

He revealed in 2022 that he almost died during this incident, and that it was responsible for his facial swelling, apparent in a viral 2021 video for Bill Nye’s Earth Day Musical.

In December 2019, Efron contracted a serious and potentially life-threatening illness, a “form of typhoid or similar bacterial infection”, while filming his adventure series Killing Zac Efron in Papua New Guinea.

He was flown to St Andrews War Memorial Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, and was treated before flying back home on December 25.

He recovered with little issue.

Efron was a vegan for two years until 2022, when he began intermittent fasting and reintroduced meat into his diet after undergoing a series of food sensitivity tests.

In 2022, Efron opened up about his struggles with mental illnesses including insomnia, agoraphobia, and depression. He developed insomnia and depression after taking diuretics for a long period to prepare for his role in Baywatch.

Zac has starred in plenty of movies since, including the movie adaptation of the musical Hairspray (2007), The Greatest Showman (2017), Baywatch (2017) and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019), in which he played prolific serial killer Ted Bundy.

He also starred alongside Ryan Kiera Armstrong in the 2022 remake of 1984’s Firestarter.

In 2020, it was announced that Efron was set to return to his Disney roots with a reboot of Three Men and a Baby, slated to debut on Disney+. He received a Daytime Emmy Award in 2021 for outstanding daytime program host for the Netflix travel docuseries Down to Earth with Zac Efron.

Efron will portray former pro wrestler Kevin Von Erich in the upcoming drama The Iron Claw.

Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Anne Hudgens was born in  December 14, 1988. She is an American actress and singer.

In 2005, Hudgens began dating her High School Musical co-star Zac Efron. Their relationship was highly publicized until their breakup in 2010.

    From 2011 to 2019, Hudgens was in a relationship with actor Austin Butler.

   By 2021, Hudgens was in a relationship with Major League Baseball shortstop Cole Tucker.

Hudgens and Tucker got engaged in February 2023, and were married on December 2, 2023.

Hudgens was raised Catholic but now identifies as a non-denominational Christian.

She attends the Los Angeles affiliate church of Hillsong Church.

In May 2016, Hudgens paid $1,000 in restitution for damage of U.S. Forest Service property by carving initials within a heart on a rock in the Coconino National Forest and displaying it on her personal Instagram feed.

In March 2020, Hudgens posted an Instagram video where she stated that it is “inevitable” that people will die from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The video caused controversy as critics accused her of minimizing the impact of the disease and the need for preventive measures. She subsequently apologized for her “insensitive” remarks.

Leaked photos

On September 6, 2007, photos allegedly stolen from Hudgens were leaked online, one showing her posing in lingerie and another showing her nude.

A statement from her publicist said that the photo was taken privately and it was unfortunate that they were released on the Internet.

Hudgens later apologized, saying that she was “embarrassed over the situation” and regretted having “taken [those] photos”.

In January 2008, Hudgens released a statement indicating that she declined to comment further on the subject.

In October 2007, OK! magazine speculated that Hudgens would be dropped from High School Musical 3 as a result of the explicit images but The Walt Disney Company denied this, stating, “Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she’s learned a valuable lesson.”

In August 2009, another set of images showing Hudgens topless emerged on the Internet.

Hudgens’ representatives did not comment, though her lawyers requested the removal of the pictures.

   In late 2009, Hudgens sued www.moejackson.com for posting nude “self-portrait photographs” of her taken on a mobile phone in a private home.

Hudgens later commented on the photos’ impact on her career in the October issue of Allure, stating, “Whenever anybody asks me, would I do nudity in a film, if I say that it’s something I’m not comfortable with, they’re like, ‘Bullshit, you’ve already done it.’ If anything, it makes it more embarrassing, because that was a private thing. It’s screwed up that someone screwed me over like that. At least some people are learning from my mistake.”^[141] According to Us Weekly, additional nude images were released on the Internet on March 15, 2011.

Hudgens is a frequent attendee of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. She has been unofficially called the “Queen of Coachella”. She is known for her boho-chic fashion style, occasionally going barefoot at the festival as well.

In March 2023, Hudgens was named as a global tourism ambassador by the Philippine government.

She acted as Gabriella Montez.

Back when she went by Vanessa Anne Hudgens, the actress played Gabrielle Montez, the academically inclined newbie to East High who got involved with the school’s musical theater program — and Efron’s Troy.

She has also become a Netflix leading lady, starring in holiday films such as The Princess Switch franchise (2018–2021) and The Knight Before Christmas (2019), as well as 2021’s Tick, Tick… Boom alongside Andrew Garfield.

Hudgens and Tucker got engaged in February 2023, and were married on December 2, 2023, in Tulum, Mexico.

 

Corbin Bleu

Corbin Bleu Reivers was  born February 21, 1989. He is an American actor and singer.

In 2011, Bleu began dating actress Sasha Clements.

On October 15, 2014, they became engaged, and they married on July 23, 2016.

He had acted as Chad Danforth.

Even though his High School Musical character did not approve of his best friend Troy’s theatrical pursuits, in real life, Bleu went on to star in a number of Broadway productions: In the Heights (2010), Godspell (2012), Holiday Inn (2016) and the 2019 revival of Kiss Me, Kate.

Bleu also showed off his dance moves on Dancing with the Stars in 2013, where he made it to the finale and placed second.

In 2022, Bleu returned to his HSM roots with a special appearance on season 3 of Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. He’ll be back for season 4.

Speaking with PEOPLE in February 2023, Bleu revealed that going back to the fictional high school was surprisingly emotional, saying, “I did not expect the reaction that I had when walking back into East High,” he said. “Even when I first saw it, just driving up, I took my breath away and I was like, ‘Whoa. This is doing something to me. Why?’ ”

“It wasn’t until showing up there that all of these emotions came up,” he continued. “When I walked into the gym, that was actually when I started crying. I had so many life-changing special experiences in that room where we shot ‘Get’cha Head in the Game,’ where we shot ‘We’re All in This Together,’ where we had so many emotional, important scenes, crazy moments. It wasn’t until going back and just seeing it again going, ‘I can’t believe this.’ It really was gratitude.”

The 34-year-old actor has been married to Canadian actress Sasha Clements since 2016.

Ashley Tisdale

Ashley Michelle Tisdale was born on  July 2, 1985. He  is an American actress and singer.Tisdale became engaged to singer Christopher French in 2013, having dated for over one year.

The couple wed on September 8, 2014, in a small private ceremony held in Santa Barbara, California.

On September 17, 2020, Tisdale announced with an image on Instagram that she was pregnant with her first child.

  On October 17, 2020, she revealed that she was expecting a girl.

   Her daughter Jupiter Iris French was born on March 23, 2021.

During her childhood, she was featured in over 100 advertisements and had minor roles in television and theatre.

She acted as Sharpay Evans

Tisdale played Sharpay Evans, who was all about getting the most attention possible. Before High School Musical, Tisdale had already been acting on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

Following the movie’s release, Tisdale continued to act on Suite Life until 2008 and lent her voice to Phineas and Ferb from 2007 to 2015. She has voiced many characters on animated shows like Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch, American Dad, Ginger Snaps and more.

Her role as Sharpay earned her a spin-off movie, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011).

On top of acting, Tisdale has released three albums and launched her own beauty brand, Illuminate cosmetics. From 2019 to 2020, she starred alongside Patricia Heaton on Carol’s Second Act.

In 2014, Tisdale married musician Christopher French. They welcomed their first child, Jupiter Iris, in March 2021.

Lucas Grabeel

Lucas Stephen Grabeel was born November 23, 1984. He is an American actor, singer and songwriter.

In January 2014 he provided his first-ever voice over role for an animated series, Deputy Peck on Sheriff Callie’s Wild West

He has also played the character of Gustav in Dragons: Defenders of Berk. In 2019, Grabeel appeared in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series as himself.

He acted as Ryan Evans.

Grabeel played second fiddle to Tisdale as Sharpay’s brother, Ryan Evans. Since the final HSM film’s release, Grabeel has continued to act and starred in Freeform’s Switched at Birth.

He also voices animated characters on shows like Family Guy, Pinky Malinky and Elena of Avalor.

He’s one of the few original cast members who made an appearance on the Disney+ show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. In a sneak-peek clip from the first episode of the fourth and final season of the Disney+ show, Ryan’s sexuality was finally confirmed as the character was seen kissing another man.

High School Musical director Kenny Ortega previously spoke about shielding Ryan’s sexuality in the movies, admitting he was “concerned” about Disney’s and audiences’ reaction at the time.

“I was concerned because it was family and kids, that Disney might not be ready to cross that line and move into that territory yet,” Ortega, 73, told Variety in 2020. “So, I just took it upon myself to make choices that I felt that those who were watching would grab.”

He added, “They would see it, they would feel it, they would know it and they would identify with it. And that is what happened.”

Monique Coleman

Adrienne Monique Coleman was born November 13, 1980. He is an American actress and dancer.

Coleman married Walter Jordan in February 2012.

  The couple divorced in February 2022.

She acted as Taylor McKessie.

Like Bleu, Coleman also laced up her dancing shoes to compete on Dancing with the Stars in 2006, though she came in fourth place in the competition.

Coleman continues to act, though her most important role is one of advocacy. In her Instagram bio, she calls herself a “Champion for Youth.” In 2010, she was named the UN’s first ever Youth Champion.

She founded Gimme Mo, an organization that seeks to empower youth to make changes in the world. She starred in a talk show of the same name that aired on Discovery Life in 2018.

In 2021, Coleman had a mini HSM reunion with Bleu when they costarred in the Lifetime holiday film A Christmas Dance Reunion.

In 2022, it was announced that Coleman would appear on season 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

Olesya Rulin

 

She acted as Kelsi Nielson.

Rulin, who played the shy pianist Kelsi, continued to act post-HSM. She appeared on series like The Mentalist and CSI: Miami, had a recurring role on the show Greek and starred on PlayStation Network’s Powers.

In 2018, she acted in the TV movie Devious Nanny; she appeared on the show SEAL Team the following year.

In 2022, Rulin and husband Joseph Noel Pauline welcomed their first baby together, daughter Ondine Michelle Pauline.

 

The Secret Life Of The American Teenager.

The ABC Family drama aired for five seasons from July 2008 to June 2013.

 

Shailene Woodley

She acted as Amy Juergens.

Shailene Diann Woodley was born November 15, 1991. She  is an American actress. Born in San Bernardino, California. She was raised in Simi Valley and started modeling at the age of five and began acting professionally in minor television roles.

She first gained prominence for her starring role as Amy Juergens in the ABC family teen drama series The secret life of the American teenager (2008–2013).

She subsequently starred in the films The Descendants (2011) and The Spectacular Now (2013), receiving a nomination for her first Golden Globe Award for the former.

In 2018, Woodley confirmed she was dating Australian-Fijian rugby union player Ben Volavola.

    In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said: “I fall in love with human beings based on who they are, not based on what they do or what sex they are”.

   In April 2020, the relationship with Volavola reportedly ended.

Woodley was reported to be in a relationship with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2020.

In February 2021, Rodgers referred to his “fiancée” during his acceptance speech for the league’s MVP award at the NFL Honors ceremony, confirming that he was engaged, but not to whom.

Woodley confirmed she was engaged to Rodgers in a February 22, 2021 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In February 2022, it was reported that Woodley and Rodgers had ended their engagement.

 

Kenny Baumann(Ben Boykewich).

Kenneth Robert Tuff Baumann  was born August 8, 1989.

He is a former American actor, writer, publisher, and book designer. He is known for playing Ben Boykewich on The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

He is the author of numerous novels, nonfiction stories, essays, and poems. He also owns and co-owns Sator Press.

He also co-founded the iOS app Sweetspot.

In 2014, Baumann enrolled at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Baumann stepped away from acting after the show wrapped, enrolling at St. John’s College in New Mexico in 2014.

He is now an author of novels, nonfiction books, essays, short stories and poems as well as a book designer. He also owns Sator Press, a nonprofit publishing company.

Books Published.

The Country (2019) ISBN 978-1091807549.

Solip (New York: Tyrant Books 2013) ISBN 978-0985023546.

Say, Cut, Map (2013) ISBN 978-1497651913

Nonfiction

Eat the Flowers (2018)

EarthBound (2014) ISBN 978-1940535005.

Baumann has been married to Aviva Farber since June 2012.

 

Daren Kagasoff (Ricky Underwood)

Kagasoff was born in Encino California to Elise Kagasoff (née Levy) and Barry Kagasoff, a diamond merchant. He is the middle of three children; he has an older brother, Justin,and a younger sister, Natalie. Kagasoff is Jewish.

Kagasoff graduated Montclair Preparatory High School in 2005 where he played on his school’s baseball team.While attending school at San Francisco University , Kagasoff decided to become an actor.

The actor moved on to Red Band Society, The Village, Ouija, Blue and S.W.A.T.

Megan Park (Grace Bowman).

Megan Park was born July 24, 1986.

She is a Canadian actress and director. She is known for her portrayal of Grace Bowman in the television series The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

 In 2021, Park made her feature directorial debut with The Fallout, which won three awards at South by Southwest and was later released on HBO Max.

The actress tied the knot with Tyler Hilton in October 2015. The pair welcomed daughter Winnie in December 2019.

Francia Raisa (Adrian Lee). 

Francia Raisa Almendárez was born July 26, 1988. She is an American actress.

Raisa was born in Los Angeles.

In the summer of 2017, Raisa donated one of her kidney to her friend, singer and actress Selena Gomez, who has Lupus.

In 2023, Raisa shared on Instagram about her recent diagnosis with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Raisa has starred on Grown-ish, Hit the Floor, Dear White People and Life-Size 2. In 2021, she joined the cast of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father, the spinoff of How I Met Your Mother.

Greg Finley (Jack Pappas)

Gregory Finley was born December 22, 1984. He  is an American actor, known for his role as Jack Pappas in the teenage drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager as well as Drake in the series Star Crossed and iZombie, and Girder in The Flash.

The actor later appeared on The Flash, iZombie, Chicago P.D., Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Star-Crossed. In 2021, he appeared in the films I Love Us and Downeast.

 

HANNAH MONTANA

It chronicled the life of Cyrus’ fictional character, Miley Stewart, who doubled as both an average teenager and pop star as she lived the “best of both worlds.”

 

Miley Ray Cyrus was  born as Destiny Hope Cyrus on  November 23, 1992.

She is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Dubbed the “Pop Chameleon“, she has been recognized for her musical versatility and continual artistic reinventions.

Cyrus has been referred to as the “Teen Queen” of the 2000s pop culture and regarded as one of the few examples of a child star who went on to have a successful career as an adult.

Destiny Hope Cyrus was born November 23, 1992, in Franklin, Tennessee,to Leticia “Tish” Jean Cyrus (née Finley) and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus.

She was born with supraventricular tachycardia, a condition causing an abnormal resting heart rate.

    Her birth name, Destiny Hope, expressed her parents’ belief that she would accomplish great things.

Cyrus and her longtime collaborator Mike Will Made It teased potential new music to be released in 2023, on the latter’s social media.

Cyrus continued to tease a new musical era through a cryptic promotional campaign—which included posters in major cities around the world, countdowns on her website, and video previews—with the caption, “New Year, New Miley”.

 

Emily Osment as Lilly Truscott.

 

Emily Jordan Osment was born March 10, 1992. She is an American actress, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles.

Emily Osment played Miley Stewart’s best friend, Lilly Truscott, on Hannah Montana from 2006 to 2011.

Prior to Hannah Montana, she had various gigs as a child actress, including the second and third Spy Kid films in 2002 and 2003.

In recent years, Osment had a recurring role as Theresa on Netflix’s The Kominsky Method, earning two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series. She also played Mandy on CBS’s Young Sheldon since 2022.

As for her personal life, Osment announced her engagement to boyfriend Jack Anthony in an Instagram post in July 2023. She wrote that she is “deliriously happy” in the caption while describing her now-fiancé as a “magical, beautiful, kaleidoscope of a person.”

 

Jason Earles as Jackson Stewart

Jason Daniel Earles was born  April 26, 1977.   He is an American actor.

Earles has contributed cast memorabilia to the fundraisers for Rocky Mountain College, his alma mater.

He was married to Jennifer Earles from 2002 to 2013.

On August 12, 2017, Jason Earles married Katie Drysen.

Jason Earles played Miley’s older brother, Jackson Stewart, on Hannah Montana from 2006 to 2011. Prior to landing the role — that notably saw him playing a 16-year-old at age 29 when the show began — the actor appeared in other titles, including CBS’s sitcom Still Standing and the 2004 film National Treasure.

Earles made a cameo on the third season and fourth season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, marking a return to his Disney roots. He also worked on the Disney+ series as an acting coach since season 1.

“I was thrilled to be able to provide that for the kids going into it as they started. That was the genesis of it,” Earles told PEOPLE. “Then, I just loved them all so much that I just keep coming back.”

The actor also compared the immediate superstardom of HSMTMTS lead Olivia Rodrigo — in the wake of releasing hit “Drivers License,” her single that ultimately led to her seven Grammy nominations — to Cyrus in Hannah Montana.

“For me, what has been mind-blowing is I was there during Hannah Montana, and I watched Miley turn into the biggest pop star in the world overnight,” he said. “The show premiered, we told them, ‘She’s a pop star,’ [and] suddenly, she was a pop star.”

 

Mitchel Musso as Oliver Oken

Mitchel Tate Musso was born July 9, 1991. He is an American actor and singer.

On October 17, 2011, at 3:43 a.m., Musso was pulled over in Burbank, California, failed to slow down for traffic cops, and charged with a DUI suspicion. He was approached by the police who then smelled alcohol and proceeded to give him a field sobriety test and breathalyzer.

Musso, aged 20, was under the legal drinking age and blew above the legal limit of .08 blood alcohol content.

His bail was set at $5,000, but he was released on account of no outstanding warrants.^[16] Musso told E! Online, that, “In becoming an adult, I have learned first hand that stepping up and taking responsibility is the best way to move forward. I am especially thankful to my family and fans for their unwavering support and encouragement. I am glad to now put this in the past.” This incident is what caused his character to be written out of Pair of Kings and the show PrankStars to be cancelled.

On August 26, 2023, Musso was reportedly acting belligerent after being asked to pay for a bag of chips he had taken from a hotel food market without paying. After police arrived outside the hotel, Musso was visibly intoxicated. It was discovered that Musso allegedly had multiple outstanding warrants, and was subsequently taken into police custody in Rockwall, Texas.

Musso faced charges of “public intoxication, theft (under $100), expired registration, failure to display a driver’s license, and violating a promise to appear notice.”

He was released on a $1,000 bond. In November 2023, the charges were dismissed.

Mitchel Musso played Miley and Lilly’s best friend, Oliver Oken, on Hannah Montana from 2006 to 2011. Prior to landing the role, he made his film debut in 2003’s Secondhand Lions and appeared in other titles including King of the Hill.

Following his four-season run on Hannah Montana, Musso continued his work on Disney Channel and starred as Jeremy Johnson on Phineas and Ferb. He voiced the animated character alongside Ashley Tisdale for four seasons from 2007 to 2015.

Musso’s other gigs include King Brady on the Disney XD show Pair of Kings as well as the host of Disney Channel’s PrankStars.

Outside of acting, Musso also pursued a career in music and released his self-titled debut album with Walt Disney Records in June 2009. After a 10-year hiatus, he returned to music with the release of his single “DRANK” — off his upcoming mixtape, Ghost.

In August 2023, the actor and singer was arrested in Texas on charges of public intoxication and theft. He created “a disturbance” and “selected a bag of chips and began eating them,” the Rockwall Police Department said in a press release obtained by PEOPLE.

Moises Arias as Rico Suave

Moisés Arias was born on April 18, 1994. He is an American actor.

Moisés has made guest appearances on shows such as The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Everybody Hates Chris and Wizards of Waverly Place.

He had a recurring role as Rico on Hannah Montana, and became a series regular in the show’s second season.

In 2009, he played Andre in the Disney Channel Original Movie Dadnapped.

As a regular on the Disney Channel, he participated on the first and second Disney Channel Games on the red team.

He also participated in the third Disney Channel games on the Yellow Team (Comets).

His main role while at Disney was as Rico Suave on Hannah Montana.

He appeared in music videos for Pearl Jam,[citation needed] the Jonas Brothers (for their song “SOS”), and Parmalee.

Arias also appeared in the 2006 film Nacho Libre in a minor role.

He participated in the 2009 Guadalajara Film Festival during the presentation of the movie The Perfect Game with Eva Longoria.

Arias appeared in Beethoven’s Big Break in 2008. He appeared on the ESPN family of networks as a roving ‘sideline’ reporter conducting interviews with fans and players at the 2009 Little League World Series.

He appeared in Wizards of Waverly Place and played Conscience, Max (Jake T. Austin)’s conscience.

Arias and his brother directed a series of YouTube films under the user name Moiswashere. In 2009, they worked on a film called Motocross Madness.

In mid-2012, Arias filmed The Kings of Summer, which had its premiere on January 19, 2013, at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews.

That year, he appeared in the film Ender’s Game, starring with Asa Butterfield, Abigail Breslin and Harrison Ford.

In 2012, Arias co-founded MSFTSrep, a youth collective and fashion brand alongside Jaden Smith, Willow Smith, and Mateo Arias.

In late 2018, Arias released an album under a different alias.

In March 2019, Arias played Poe in the CBS film Five Feet Apart,starring with Cole Sprouse.

In January 2020, he appeared as a patient on an episode of The Good Doctor on the ABC network.

Moises Arias played the outdoor concession manager, Rico Suave, on Hannah Montana from 2006 to 2011. Prior to landing the role, he appeared in shows like Everybody Hates Chris and The Emperor’s New School.

Amid his four-season run on Hannah Montana series, Arias made cameos on various other Disney Channel hits, including The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Wizards of Waverly Place and Phineas and Ferb.

Cody Linley as Jake Ryan.

Cody Martin Linley was born November 20, 1989.

He is an American actor and singer
Cody Linley played one of Miley’s love interests, Jake Ryan, on Hannah Montana from 2006 to 2010.

Prior to landing the role on the Disney Channel hit, he had supporting roles in films such as 2000’s Miss Congeniality, 2003’s Cheaper by the Dozen and Hey Arnold!: The Movie that same year.

Amid his Hannah Montana tenure, he starred in 2006’s Hoot — marking one of his biggest film gigs to date alongside Logan Herman and Brie Larson. In 2008, he was a contestant on season 7 of Dancing with the Stars.

Other titles he’s appeared in include Melissa & Joey in 2012, Sharknado in 2016 and 2017 and the 2020 miniseries Happy Epidemic. Although it’s been years since his Disney Channel days, he still pokes fun at his past work on social media.

In August, he hilariously compared his Hannah Montana character to Ken in the Greta Gerwig film Barbie in an Instagram video backed to Ryan Gosling’s song, “I’m Just Ken.”