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'High School Musical' Director Confirms Character Ryan Evans Is Gay

'High School Musical' Director Confirms Character Ryan Evans Is Gay

High School Musical director Kenny Ortega confirmed that Ryan Evans, the character played by Lucas Grabeel, is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

In an interview with Variety, Kenny was asked, “Do you think there’s a queer aesthetic that runs through all your movies?”

Kenny said, “Yeah, for sure. I do, because that’s who I am. I put a lot of who I am into my work. I mean, really all the way back from the earliest work that I’ve done, even as a choreographer in film and television. And I think, yeah, that it’s just there, and whether it’s screaming at you, or whether it’s just sort of quietly there, it’s there.”

He added, “The character of Ryan [played by Lucas] in High School Musical, Sharpay’s twin brother, we decided he’d probably going to come out in college. It was less about coming out and just more about letting his true colors come forward.”

Variety then asked, “Would it have been possible when you made “High School Musical” to have had Ryan be openly gay?”

“I have to be honest with you. I didn’t think at the time — and Disney is the most progressive group of people I’ve ever worked with,” he said. “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. So, I just took it upon myself to make choices that I felt that those who were watching would grab. They would see it, they would feel it, they would know it and they would identify with it. And that is what happened.”

Find out who took part in the High School Musical reunion recently!

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Posted to: High School Musical, Kenny Ortega, Lucas Grabeel