Could Gina Undergo a Sharpay Makeover For Season 2 of ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’?
The finale for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series did a really great job of concluding the first season in a nice bow, so to speak. It was renewed for Season 2 and the possibilities surrounding the plot are endless. The drama between characters like Gina and Nini or Gina and EJ has been squashed, but who’s to say what will happen next season? And if they give Gina a little bit of a Sharpay makeover, then she might come back a little less nice the second time around. Spoilers ahead for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
Gina went through a major character change midway through the season
Gina, played by Sofia Wylie, started off as the new girl who has a ton of talent and knows just how good she is. She wants to be the star and is taken aback when Nini gets the lead. She has a bit of a mean girl vibe towards Nini, but once she opens up to Ricky and some of the other drama members, she starts to be a little less abrasive.
“Once we start to see the dynamic between her and Ricky, we really see her opening up, becoming more vulnerable, and seeing a side of her that is like a normal teenage girl with teenage feelings,” Wylie told Hollywood Life on Jan. 9. “Of course, that always comes with all the scary risk but her moment with Ricky in Episode 9, you kind of see this change in their dynamic because so many things have changed for both of them in the last few weeks.”
Wylie was so good at her role, that showrunner Tim Federle said he wrote into her character more, according to Entertainment Tonight. “To me, the real surprise of it was Sofia Wylie, and the depth and range and access she has in her life as an actor is phenomenal,” he said. “When she shot that first scene with Joshua in the car outside her house at homecoming, I saw such a tenderness but also so much going on behind Sofia’s eyes that made me say, ‘Oh my gosh, we have to keep writing. We have keep writing toward this.’”
There’s a lot unknown about Season 2, but could we see Gina go back to who she was?
So, with Season 2 coming at some point, there’s no doubt that Wylie will be back as Gina, even though her living situation is not confirmed yet. But could her progression into a nicer character revert back to a mean one, getting a Sharpay makeover?
What does that mean? Remember at the end of High School Musical, when Sharpay made amends with Gabriella and Troy getting the leads, and sang “We’re All In This Together” with everyone at the end? She even came back and thanked Zeke for his cookies. However, when we see her again in High School Musical 2, she’s a bit meaner and snootier and is out to break the hearts of her fellow Wildcats. Could Gina follow a similar path?
Federle and the rest of the cast is keeping any info on Season 2 very locked down, but Wylie has some ideas on where she’d like the character to go. “I would love to see her new experiences with staying in one place because she has moved so much within her life now. She can’t just kind of bulldoze her way through, get the lead, and do whatever she wants because she knows that she’s going to be moving away soon,” Wylie said.
“I would really love for her to really create permanent relationships and see the almost fear of those relationships because she’s never really experienced staying in one place, having the consequences for her actions, and having to deal with these long term relationships with people her age.” If she does stay with Ashlyn, then a pending move isn’t hanging over her and she might act differently. Maybe she won’t revert back to her mean persona from the start of the season, after all.
Could Gina get in between Ricky and Nini, or get the lead in the spring musical?
And don’t worry; Federle confirmed that Gina (Wylie) would be back. “The only thing I’ll say about that is it’s hard for me to imagine doing season two without Sofia Wylie, so that’s as much as I’ll say on that topic,” he said. “I can’t give too much away.”
Would Gina be able to get in between the newly reformed power couple, Nini and Ricky? It’s not a huge possibility but never say never. Wylie did say she wants to see Gina’s relationships grow more. “I’d love to see what happens in the future with Ricky and Nini or Ricky and Gina,” she said. “Also, I’m so excited to see what the musical will be. That will be a big change with the dynamic with whoever gets the lead and whoever does it. I will definitely add a lot of drama to the show.” Even if Gina isn’t out to get Ricky, what if she gets a lead in the spring musical with him while Nini is at the performing arts school in Denver?
Again, there are so many routes for these characters to take, but rest assured drama will follow Gina just like it will for the rest of the East High theater department.
