When it comes to All American, there are few who sell it better than Disney. In the global scheme of things, the cable channel alone is the wellspring for mass cultural phenomenons including The Jonas Brothers, High School Musical, and one Miley Ray Cyrus.
For the majority of popular Disney stars currently working, going through puberty on screen is as routine as juggling their filming schedule with a budding singing career. For stars like iCarly’s Miranda Cosgrove and Selena Gomez of Wizards of Waverly Place, the nearest their fame will allow them to approach living the life of your average teenager is shopping without a security guard. No matter how often they’re snapped gabbing on their cell like a regular teen, or how many interviews they spend talking about just spending the weekends having sleepovers with friends, you’re a long way from average when you’re on David Letterman comparing hitting an Oscars party with the Biebs to prom night.
This particular Hollywood trajectory doesn’t apply to Ashley Tisdale. The crème de la crème of today’s Disney crop, Tisdale went from a supporting role in The Suite Life of Zach and Cody to a starring role in the television-turned-theatre hit, High School Musical (HSM). But, before her girl-next-door charm sparked the super stardom that has given rise to fan clubs spanning from the Philippines to Brazil, Tisdale was in fact the girl next door, bouncing up and down in the bleachers, cheering on her high school’s football team back in Valencia, California.
“I would have liked to have been a cheerleader,” she says. “I often booked acting jobs when I was in high school so I would miss a few days of school here and there. Since I couldn't guarantee I would be at every game I wasn't able to be a part of the cheerleading squad, but I still loved going to all the games.”
Okay, so maybe she wasn’t exactly “typical” to a ‘T’—it’s not many who can boast singing for an American president (for Bill Clinton when she was twelve) as an accomplishment. Even so, she’s anything but a tinsel town tyke. And for Tisdale, growing up outside the Hollywood fishbowl has made all the difference. While TV and commercial work came in pretty steadily starting from a young age (she was already going on national tours for musical productions including Les Misérables and Annie by the age of 8), she still had a regular life waiting for her at home. “I feel lucky that success came to me when I was 19,” she shares. “I was able to have a normal childhood and high school experiences.”
The time between 14 and 18 can feel like the most trying moment in time when you’re living through them; peer pressure and the desire to fit in, exacerbated by not yet knowing who you are, can make for a tumultuous few years. For Tisdale, she’s just thankful she was able to grow up and make regular adolescent mistakes without having to worry about the media stalking her actions. “I was able to learn those teenage lessons like everyone else, and didn't have the pressure of learning them under a microscope,” she affirms. “I definitely feel like that kept me level-headed.”
In Tisdale-speak, “level-headed” connotes a no-nonsense stance against playing into her generation of party girls. Open about her disdain for the “scene”—the drinking/smoking/drugs aspect of it anyway—the actress doesn’t creep into preachy-ness and is nothing of an unsympathetic crusader. “Growing up I always looked up to my parents and they instilled a lot of confidence in me. They taught me that I didn't have to follow the crowd and to just be myself,” recalls Tisdale. “I went to high school parties and if there was drinking going on … it was something I choose not to do.”
Regardless, the actress isn’t throwing anyone off the ship for making mistakes. She's sensitive to the pressure of being the "it" in young Hollywood, and having to learn life lessons while the glaring media and their impressionable fan base watch with baited breath. “I think sometimes the tabloids are just looking for a story. They will take things out of context and turn something harmless into a big story to try to sell magazines,” she attests on teen Hollywood’s behalf. “It is probably really hard for younger girls, who are just learning who they are, to have the added pressure of someone watching their every move.”
Being something she isn’t goes against the philosophy Tisdale has built her career upon. A loyal Disney “kid,” the actress is grateful for the doors HSM has opened and hopes to continue working in partnership with them; but, dedication aside, she is not afraid to walk through a door that might open on the other side of the Magic Kingdom.
Heather Hemmens, Aly Michalka, and Ashley Tisdale as Savannah in Hellcats on The CW. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/The CW. All Rights Reserved.
For the majority of popular Disney stars currently working, going through puberty on screen is as routine as juggling their filming schedule with a budding singing career. For stars like iCarly’s Miranda Cosgrove and Selena Gomez of Wizards of Waverly Place, the nearest their fame will allow them to approach living the life of your average teenager is shopping without a security guard. No matter how often they’re snapped gabbing on their cell like a regular teen, or how many interviews they spend talking about just spending the weekends having sleepovers with friends, you’re a long way from average when you’re on David Letterman comparing hitting an Oscars party with the Biebs to prom night.
This particular Hollywood trajectory doesn’t apply to Ashley Tisdale. The crème de la crème of today’s Disney crop, Tisdale went from a supporting role in The Suite Life of Zach and Cody to a starring role in the television-turned-theatre hit, High School Musical (HSM). But, before her girl-next-door charm sparked the super stardom that has given rise to fan clubs spanning from the Philippines to Brazil, Tisdale was in fact the girl next door, bouncing up and down in the bleachers, cheering on her high school’s football team back in Valencia, California.
“I would have liked to have been a cheerleader,” she says. “I often booked acting jobs when I was in high school so I would miss a few days of school here and there. Since I couldn't guarantee I would be at every game I wasn't able to be a part of the cheerleading squad, but I still loved going to all the games.”
Okay, so maybe she wasn’t exactly “typical” to a ‘T’—it’s not many who can boast singing for an American president (for Bill Clinton when she was twelve) as an accomplishment. Even so, she’s anything but a tinsel town tyke. And for Tisdale, growing up outside the Hollywood fishbowl has made all the difference. While TV and commercial work came in pretty steadily starting from a young age (she was already going on national tours for musical productions including Les Misérables and Annie by the age of 8), she still had a regular life waiting for her at home. “I feel lucky that success came to me when I was 19,” she shares. “I was able to have a normal childhood and high school experiences.”
The time between 14 and 18 can feel like the most trying moment in time when you’re living through them; peer pressure and the desire to fit in, exacerbated by not yet knowing who you are, can make for a tumultuous few years. For Tisdale, she’s just thankful she was able to grow up and make regular adolescent mistakes without having to worry about the media stalking her actions. “I was able to learn those teenage lessons like everyone else, and didn't have the pressure of learning them under a microscope,” she affirms. “I definitely feel like that kept me level-headed.”
In Tisdale-speak, “level-headed” connotes a no-nonsense stance against playing into her generation of party girls. Open about her disdain for the “scene”—the drinking/smoking/drugs aspect of it anyway—the actress doesn’t creep into preachy-ness and is nothing of an unsympathetic crusader. “Growing up I always looked up to my parents and they instilled a lot of confidence in me. They taught me that I didn't have to follow the crowd and to just be myself,” recalls Tisdale. “I went to high school parties and if there was drinking going on … it was something I choose not to do.”
Regardless, the actress isn’t throwing anyone off the ship for making mistakes. She's sensitive to the pressure of being the "it" in young Hollywood, and having to learn life lessons while the glaring media and their impressionable fan base watch with baited breath. “I think sometimes the tabloids are just looking for a story. They will take things out of context and turn something harmless into a big story to try to sell magazines,” she attests on teen Hollywood’s behalf. “It is probably really hard for younger girls, who are just learning who they are, to have the added pressure of someone watching their every move.”
Being something she isn’t goes against the philosophy Tisdale has built her career upon. A loyal Disney “kid,” the actress is grateful for the doors HSM has opened and hopes to continue working in partnership with them; but, dedication aside, she is not afraid to walk through a door that might open on the other side of the Magic Kingdom.
Her move over to CW’s Hellcats was exactly that. Starring as Savannah Monroe—a faithful Christian and a devoted family girl with some outstanding family issues—Tisdale has been exploring the flip side of her famed HSM character, Sharpay Evans, drama queen extraordinaire, since cast in the role of the kind-hearted but nonetheless intense Savannah.
“One reason I wanted to play Savannah in Hellcats was because she is a very different character than Sharpay,” admits Tisdale. “The show is unlike anything I [have] done before. I love to work at developing characters and look forward to playing new ones in the future.” As for her character Savannah’s future, well, let’s just say that, according to the actress, the road to Nationals, and ultimately Miss Monroe’s place as team captain of the squad, might be jeopardized by ensuing problems with her kinsfolk.
“One reason I wanted to play Savannah in Hellcats was because she is a very different character than Sharpay,” admits Tisdale. “The show is unlike anything I [have] done before. I love to work at developing characters and look forward to playing new ones in the future.” As for her character Savannah’s future, well, let’s just say that, according to the actress, the road to Nationals, and ultimately Miss Monroe’s place as team captain of the squad, might be jeopardized by ensuing problems with her kinsfolk.
