Tim Federle<\/strong> is thrilled by the High School Musical<\/em> stars who appeared on season 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series<\/em><\/a> \u2014 but he says there was one person missing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was so great to get the originals back because it launched their careers in such explosive ways. [That is] the same way I think some of the cast members of my show are getting launched into the world,\u201d the showrunner, 43, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em>. \u201cI loved seeing how humble and grateful and just cool they are now \u2014 as young adults \u2014 Corbin [Bleu]<\/strong><\/a> and Monique [Coleman]<\/strong><\/a> and Lucas [Grabeel]<\/strong><\/a>. I really wanted to get Kenny Ortega<\/strong><\/a> back.\u201d<\/p>\n Ortega, 73, was the director and choreographer of the High School Musical<\/em> movie<\/a> franchise, and Federle recalled getting in touch in hopes that Ortega would play himself in HSMTMTS<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cI called Kenny. He was super busy on a project,\u201d Federle said. \u201cHe could not have been more gracious. I said, \u2018Do you want to come back and play Kenny?\u2019 And he was like, \u2018It\u2019s the coolest idea. I can\u2019t.\u2019 He was editing a documentary. Kenny\u2019s on my bucket list. [I\u2019ve] got to collaborate with Kenny someday. But I\u2019m really satisfied with how we wrapped up the whole show.\u201d<\/p>\n High School Musical<\/em> was a cultural phenomenon in the late aughts. The Disney hit focused on basketball star Troy Bolton (Zac Efron<\/strong><\/a>) and new student Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens<\/strong><\/a>) as they navigated high school romance, drama and musical theater.<\/a><\/p>\n Disney+ rekindled the franchise more than a decade later with spinoff series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series<\/em><\/a>. The mockumentary, which premiered in 2019, launched the careers of stars Olivia Rodrigo<\/a>, Joshua Bassett, Sofia Wylie<\/a>, Matt Cornett, Larry Saperstein, Julia Lester<\/a>, Dara Rene\u00e9 <\/a><\/strong>and Frankie Rodriguez<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As filming started on season 4, Efron, 35, surprised fans when he visited High School Musical\u2019s East High<\/a> in July 2022. His Instagram post in front of the iconic school came one month after Efron\u2019s HSM<\/em> love interest \u2014 and former real-life girlfriend \u2014 Hudgens, 34, documented her own trip to East High.<\/a><\/p>\n Efron and Hudgens, however, were some of the original High School Musical<\/em> stars who didn\u2019t ultimately return to reprise their roles.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAshley [Tisdale]<\/strong> <\/a>called me personally and was so lovely. She\u2019s very busy launching brands and it just wasn\u2019t the right timing,\u201d Federle told Trib Total Media on Friday, August 4. \u201cAnd I got the feeling with Zac and Vanessa, who I don\u2019t know personally but I\u2019m a fan, reading the tea leaves, that by the time you get into negotiating what this would take, we\u2019re gonna wrap and the show will be over.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Efron and Hudgens didn\u2019t appear in the final season, the show still had plenty of memorable moments with fan-favorite couple Ricky (Bassett) and Gina (Wylie) at the center of the episodes<\/a>. Ricky and Gina weathered many storms but ultimately were able to get their happily ever after<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember we had this thing in the writers room where we always tried to answer the question, \u2018But why Ricky for Gina?\u2019 Because E.J. is this amazing guy \u2014 who I think the audience will see is starting to land in a really good place in his life. And what we said is, \u2018Ricky always makes Gina laugh,’\u201d Federle previously told Us<\/em>. \u201cShe can be really competitive, self-possessed, ambitious, she can beat herself up if things don\u2019t go well and she\u2019s a real people-pleaser. Ricky just can cut through all of that and make Gina laugh. And I think that\u2019s one of the qualities of their relationship that she hasn\u2019t had with another guy.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cRicky has these silly, goofy qualities [that] she has. I mean, there\u2019s this look on Sofia Wylie\u2019s face when she looks at Josh and there\u2019s a look on Josh\u2019s face when he looks at Sofia. I\u2019m like, \u2018Nobody amuses Gina like Ricky and nobody makes Ricky happy like Gina.\u2019 That is so real and worth holding onto. Then the question of the season [becomes], \u2018Is the timing right?’\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens or Ashley Tisdale.<\/span> BEI\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"Tim](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Tim-Federle-Reveals-Which-High-School-Musical-OG-He-Wanted-%E2%80%94-But-Wasn-t-Able-%E2%80%94-to-Get-for-Season-4-292.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Kenny Ortega.<\/span> Chelsea Lauren for Pantages Theatre\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n