"High School Musical" Creator Kenny Ortega Says Ryan Evans Probably Would Have “Come Out in College”
The creator of High School Musical just said that Ryan Evans, Sharpay's twin brother, was actually a LGBTQ character, though it was never revealed in the films.
While speaking with Variety about the "queer aesthetic" of his movies, Kenny Ortega revealed that they decided that Ryan, played by Lucas Grabeel, was "probably going to come out in college."
"It was less about coming out and just more about letting his true colors come forward," Kenny revealed.
Of course, the High School Musical movies ended at the end of the characters' senior year of high school, so we never got to see Ryan's coming out story. That being said, it seems like Disney may not have even allowed it at the time.
"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," he said when asked if it would have been possible to characterize Ryan as gay at the time. "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."
So while Ryan was never open about his sexuality, it seems like the subtleties in Kenny's story were enough the help out many kids.
"I have to say thousands of kids that have said, 'If it weren’t for High School Musical, I don’t know that I would have ever been comfortable in my skin," he said. "I don’t know when I would have been able to feel comfortable enough to come out, embrace who I am.”
Follow Carolyn on Instagram.
You Might Also Like
