Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images
Corbin Bleu Sends Heartfelt Birthday Shoutout to ‘High School Musical’ Co-Star Monique Coleman
Corbin Bleu is celebrating his longtime friendship with High School Musical co-star Monique Coleman in the sweetest way.
On November 13, 2025, Bleu posted a heartfelt message to his Instagram Stories, writing, “Happy birthday. Here’s to more life together,” alongside a nostalgic photo of the two, seemingly from their HSM glory days.
Fans of the Disney Channel phenomenon know the duo’s friendship has stood the test of time. More than 15 years after the original High School Musical premiered, Coleman and Bleu reunited on screen in 2021 in Lifetime’s A Christmas Dance Reunion, a holiday romance that had Coleman particularly excited.
“I was really excited about it and then when I saw that Corbin was already attached to the project, it was the fastest I’d ever said yes to anything in my life,” Coleman told People Magazine at the time. “I was very fortunate that it is such an amazing story and it really suits us so well.”
In the film, Coleman plays Lucy, an attorney who reconnects with her childhood dance partner Barrett, portrayed by Bleu. Coleman says the story mirrors parts of their own lives. “After High School Musical, I took a little bit of a detour in a beautiful direction. I started my own company and foundation called GimmeMo’ and I spent the last 10 years working in advocacy and giving back,” she explains. “So for me, the character Lucy and her journey of becoming a lawyer, although it’s different, is very similar to what I’ve done.”
Bleu, meanwhile, has been keeping busy with a thriving career in musical theater, including starring roles in Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical, and Kiss Me, Kate. Coleman shared, “I’ve seen almost every single one of his shows on stage. I’ve just watched him have this incredible illustrious career in theater and on Broadway. So [the film] was a little bit of an art imitating life moment.”
Coleman also reflected on the timing of the film wrapping on her 40th birthday, calling it especially meaningful. “I have all these dreams that I still haven’t realized. I have all these things that I want to do, but that I didn’t. This [movie] feels like such a beautiful way to bring my world together and to get back on track with what I really want to do in the next stages of my career and the fact that I got to do it with one of my best friends is really amazing,” she said.
Though returning to a dance-centered project was nostalgic, Coleman says the real highlight was collaborating with Bleu again. “I forgot how utterly just talented and delicious he is,” she says. “I obviously have seen him in shows and we’re friends, but I forgot what it was like to work with someone who has such an incredible work ethic, who shows up and gives 110 percent every single time, every single take, whether he’s on screen or not. He’s such a generous actor and really cares.”
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Life & Style does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.