By Zach Johnson
Things are only getting bigger and better in season two of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Before the first episode begins streaming Friday on Disney+, we asked three of the cast’s newcomers—Roman Banks, Andrew Barth Feldman, and Olivia Rose Keegan—to introduce their characters and share what it was like to join the popular series.
“The first day on set, I was very nervous,” admitted Keegan. “It can be an intimidating situation on paper. In season one, everyone bonded and got to know each other. But everyone in the cast could not have been warmer or more welcoming. It immediately felt like home. There is an overwhelming amount of talent that feels contagious and inspiring.”
Banks shared Keegan’s nervousness, saying, “I’d never been on a TV set before.” Luckily, creator and executive producer Tim Federle was happy to give each of the newbies the lay of the land. “I was like, ‘Oh, wow! This is a lot of stuff,’” Banks said. “They took me to the holding room, then Tim gave me a tour. It honestly felt kind of like the first day of school.”
Find out what the trio had to say about their characters below:
Roman Banks as Howie
Howie is a high school junior who works after school as a delivery guy for Salt Lake Slices, the pizza shop owned by Big Red’s (Larry Saperstein) family. He initially rubs Kourtney (Dara Renée) the wrong way, but they may have more in common than they realize. As for romance rumors, Banks laughed, saying, “I’ve seen so many theories online, so who knows? Let’s just say Howie doesn’t always stay in the pizza kitchen. It’s up to the viewers to see where things go.” Without spoiling any plot points, he added, “I’ve had a lot of fun this season. It was wonderful to work with the cast—especially Dara. Her energy is awesome.”
Andrew Barth Feldman as Antoine
Antoine is a French foreign exchange student at North High, whose drama club is staging a production of The Little Mermaid—directed by former Broadway star and hometown hero Zack Roy (Derek Hough). Of his character, Feldman said, “He’s got a bit of a flirty streak. He’s here to shake things up; it might be targeted at Ashlyn [Julia Lester]. Who knows?” Feldman added he “had so much fun” with his role. “I got to do some really silly stuff,” he explained, “so I’m excited for people to get to see my debut a little bit later in the season.”
Olivia Rose Keegan as Lily
Lily is an energetic East High student whose sweetness masks her highly competitive nature. The only thing bigger than her voice is her ambition. “It’s an admirable quality,” Keegan said. “She’s a very determined girl—scarily, violently determined! She is willing to take down anything in her way, and that takes her to some strange, interesting places. She definitely goes after what she wants, so I give her props for that.” Keegan pointed out that “no one is one-dimensional,” and throughout the course of the season, she hopes fans will see “all the different layers and why she is the way she is. It’s going to be wild. I’m excited!”
