Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens' High School Musical Romance Explored in Disney High

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens navigated the ups and downs of their romance while filming the beloved franchise. In an excerpt from the upcoming book, Disney High: The Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire, former cast members, including Lucas Grabeel, reflect on the couple's dynamics on set.

“He was the sun and moon to her,” Lucas said. “Poor girl.”

Peter Barsocchini also shared an incident from the set of High School Musical 3: Senior Year, describing a heated moment between Zac and Vanessa:

“I hear her dragging Zac into this office and then I just hear yelling. Do you know how long relationships last at that age? That was a real blessing to hold it together for three movies.”

The upcoming book reveals more about Zac's evolution after he skyrocketed to fame with the first film in 2006. By the time they returned for the sequel in 2007, his demeanor had shifted.

“Zac, while still kind and polite, returned to Utah with his dream of becoming a full-fledged Hollywood star within reach,” it describes. “He was more aloof with the cast and crew and mainly kept to himself or with Vanessa.”

Zac and Vanessa began dating during rehearsals for the first film and ultimately split two years after their final installment premiered. While Vanessa has been reserved about discussing Zac publicly, she did open up about her past relationships in a recent interview.

“The public only sees so much,” she told Nylon in 2022. “I've also been through two very long life-changing relationships, and no one really knows what happened except for me. When I write my memoir, it’ll be amazing.”

Zac has mostly kept quiet regarding their romance but has spoken fondly of both Vanessa and their co-star Ashley Tisdale amid news of their motherhood journeys:

“They're gonna be the best moms ever," he expressed. "Those girls, are you kidding me? We’re gonna have some fun family reunions coming up.”