Taylor McKessie always knew what was going down at East High! Vanessa Hudgens recently recalled a fight that she had with then-boyfriend Zac Efron on the set of the High School Musical film franchise — and it may have shut down production for the day.
When asked about Hudgens’ comments, Monique Coleman, who appeared in all three HSM films, told Us Weekly exclusively, “You mean on the third one? And they, like, shut the day down?” Speaking to Us at LA Family Housing Annual LAFH Awards & Fundraiser Celebration on Thursday, April 25, she added, “We were so respectful and very protective of each other that, like, literally if it wasn’t something that I was supposed to share, I forgot it.”
Hudgens, 30, opened up about her relationship with Efron, 31, on the “Awards Chatter” podcast, released on Monday, April 22. The Second Act star, who dated her costar from 2006 to 2010, revealed director and choreographer Kenny Ortega worried about the film after one specific on-set argument.
“I remember one time we did have a fight and it was while we were at rehearsals, and I remember Kenny Ortega coming around the corner with the most concerned look on his face like, ‘Oh no, is our movie going to fall apart right now?’” she explained. “I pride myself on being a professional, so I was like that aside we are going to move forward and do what we need to do and we sorted it all out.”
Hudgens added: “I think because I was so young, having that relationship stabilized me.”
Coleman also pointed out how young the cast was at the time of filming.
“We just actually are really close friends and I cared. You know what I mean? … I feel like so many people get into a position and then tear each other down. And it was really important for us to,like, stay very, like, tight-knit and to protect each other. Because at the end of the day, these were adolescents,” she told Us on Thursday. “These were young people who were young teenagers that were growing up in front of everyone. And thank God we didn’t have social media, but imagine? The world would be … it would be so different.”
While Hudgens moved on from Efron with current love Austin Butler, the Baywatch star recently starting dating Olympian Sarah Bro. Coleman told Us that she’s excited to see her former castmates happy.
“I really think that it’s important have a distinction between who you are in front of the camera and who you’re behind,” she noted. “I just want I just want them to both be happy. If they’re happy that’s all that matters.”
With reporting by Taylor Ferber
