Things are about to get awkward at East High. Olivia Rodrigo is officially returning for season 3 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series after her onscreen love interest Joshua Bassett revealed they haven’t spoken in nearly one year.
The 18-year-old musician told the Los Angeles Times that she’s committed to a third season of the Disney+ series, with the newspaper noting “about which you have to assume she’s conflicted.”
“I never take a break from music,” Rodrigo said of plans for a follow-up to Sour. “When I was shooting season 2 of [High School Musical], I wrote, like, five of the songs on my album. So, honestly, I’m probably gonna be more productive. But who knows? I’ve only been doing this for a year. I’ve got a lot left to figure out.”
Rodrigo portrays Nini on HSMTMTS, while Bassett plays Ricky. After getting back together at the end of season 1, their characters broke up again in season 2, which streamed earlier this year. While the show was airing its sophomore season, Rodrigo shot to fame following the release of her first single, “Drivers License,” which she reportedly penned about her real-life romance with and messy split from Bassett.
The 20-year-old actor addressed the headlines that came from the track for the first time, telling GQ that Rodrigo “hasn’t spoken to me since ‘Drivers License’ came out” in January.
While he downplayed the drama, which included claims that he left Rodrigo heartbroken after he moved on with Sabrina Carpenter, at the time, Bassett told the magazine that “a lot of this last year people haven’t seen me as a human being.”
“I would see TikToks with like 50 million views and 10 million likes saying, ‘If I ever see that kid on the street, I’m going to f—king kill him,’” he explained. “It’s hard to see that and then be living in New York and walking down the street. I got a protector screen on my phone so people can’t look at it when I’m at a coffee shop. There are certain people who I can’t hang out with in public because they’re too loud.”
Bassett shared his side of the story through his new songs, “Crisis,” “Secret” and “Set Me Free.”
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“I’m glad that it’s taken this long,” he told GQ of his three new tracks, which he wrote six months ago. “I finally found the courage to speak up for myself.”
Production on HSMTMTS is set to begin in January 2022.
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