In various interviews, the costars have spoken candidly about not connecting on set.
"I remember auditioning with Ashley and hating her because she wanted to rehearse a lot," Grabeel told Billboard in 2018. "I was like, 'Look, I don't want to socialize much, I just want to work on my own thing, I came prepared.' But we ran through the scene together outside, and she gave me notes in true Sharpay fashion. I was like, 'Who is this girl telling me how to do my own audition?'"
When the pair teamed up to sing "What I've Been Looking For" on Tisdale's YouTube channel, they explained that they simply didn't understand each other.
"I think we just didn't know each other and I think I was definitely a lot like Sharpay," Tisdale said.
Nowadays, Tisdale and Grabeel are close friends.
"We just needed to live some life and go through some experiences together and learn where both of us came from and then it happened," Grabeel said.