In her new book, author Ashley Spencer claims that the stars started dating while filming the fan-favorite teen movie series after the 'Iron Claw' actor dumped his girlfriend.
- September 27, 2024
AceShowbiz - Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens's off-screen romance seemingly didn't come in an organic way. A new book reveals that the stars started dating while filming "High School Musical" after Zac dumped his girlfriend.
In her book "Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire", author Ashley Spencer shares the back story of Zac and Vanessa's relationship. According to Ashley, Zac confessed his feelings for his co-star to "HSM" choreographer Charles "Chucky" Klapow.
It is said that the actor asked for advice from Chucky in the middle of a "rare, wild night of intermingling." "The Iron Claw" actor allegedly told Chucky, "I don't know what to do, man. Vanessa is super into me, and I have feelings for her, too. I don't want to do the wrong thing with my girlfriend. I also don't want to shut Vanessaa down and ruin the chemistry in the movie."
Chucky then encouraged Zac to "explore" his romance with Vanessa since they were "so young" and away from home on set, meaning that Zac had to break up with his girlfriend. Ashley adds in her book that the cast party "delved into melodrama" after Zac and Chucky walked back into the hotel room.
"Vanessa was in tears, crying in the locked bathroom with [Ashley Tisdale]. It seemed as if the tipping point of her unrequited love had been reached," the author writes in the book. Fellow co-star Corbin Bleu, meanwhile, "tried to console her from the other room until Zac knocked on the bathroom door, and Ashley left the two of them to talk alone."
"High School Musical" star Lucas Grabeel also recalls the early days of the couple's romance on the set of the fan-favorite teen movie series. "I mean, it was so high school," Lucas reveals in the book. "It was like, 'He broke up with his girlfriend, and we're together now.' "
Zac and Vanessa, who is now married to Cole Tucker, dated for five years before splitting in 2010. Of their relationship, the actress told Glamour in a June 2010 interview, "We got lucky because we started off together, so I think people like us because they fell in love with the characters."
"Right off the bat, we had a connection. I think everybody could see it. When we had our audition, they paired us together. And he was adorable," she continued. "I mean, he wasn't the guy that he is today. Like, he had a gap in his teeth."
