How 'HSMTMTS' Prepared Julia Lester for Her Tony-Nominated Role in 'Into the Woods' (Exclusive)
The actress talks to PEOPLE about how the hit Disney+ series prepared her for her Broadway debut in 'Into the Woods'
Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Julia Lester has High School Musical: The Musical: The Series to thank for helping her navigate her very first Broadway role.
After starring as Ashlyn Caswell on the hit Disney+ series, the actress booked her “dream” role as Little Red Riding Hood in the Broadway production of Into the Woods in 2022, alongside a star-studded cast including Sara Bareilles, Brian d'Arcy James, Patina Miller and more.
What happened next was a whirlwind journey for Lester, including a Grammy Award for best musical theater album, a Drama League Award for outstanding revival of musical, and most recently, a Tony nomination for best featured actress in a musical.
Bruce Glikas/Getty
Related: 'HSMTMTS' First Look: Cast Tease 'Full-Circle' Season 4 with OG Wildcats (Exclusive)
When PEOPLE visited the set of HSMTMTS season 4 last year, Lester couldn’t help but gush about the incredible honor of starring in the musical and how her hit Disney+ series helped her navigate the process.
“[HSMTMTS] prepared me in so many ways for Broadway, more ways than I was even thinking it would,” she notes. “When we went in to record the cast album for Into the Woods, I don't know what it would've been like had I gone into the studio having never recorded music before. Going in having all of this experience from the last four years of recording albums and recording music for this show was so insanely helpful.”
“I just think having a sense of community and having people that you work with every day and collaborate with is always so important,” she adds. “So to have this sort of consistency here and to be able to bring the morale and what we've learned here to other projects, I think is so important. We'll carry these experiences with us for the rest of our lives in anything we do.”
Troy Harvey via Getty Images
In a fun twist of fate, Lester isn’t the only HSMTMTS star who has starred in Into the Woods. Kate Reinders, who plays Miss Jenn on the Disney+ series, was actually an understudy for Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Milky White, and Rapunzel in the 2002 Broadway revival of the show.
Though Reinders notes Lester didn’t need any advice for her Broadway debut, she knew early on that she would be perfect for the role.
“From day one, I knew how talented she is,” she tells PEOPLE. “I told her way back then, ‘You can do anything. You can do whatever you want.’ She's a Broadway girl at heart too.”
“I was an understudy in Into the Woods 20 years ago when I was about her age, and I loved it,” she adds. “It's the best show ever. So when I found out she was going to do it, I just knew she would be wonderful, which obviously, she was. I think it was more of a proud mommy moment and so happy that the torch has been passed to such capable hands.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is now streaming on Disney+.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
