High School Musical turned 20 this week, but for Bart Johnson, who played Coach Bolton, the Disney hit initially derailed his acting dreams. In a candid chat with TMZ, he reveals how being the on-screen dad put him 'out to pasture' for a decade. Yet, he's bouncing back with roles in Yellowstone and Landman.
Oh honey, grab your pom-poms because the tea on High School Musical is piping hot—and a little scalding for one of its stars. Bart Johnson, the hunk who coached East High's basketball team as Coach Bolton opposite Zac Efron's Troy, just spilled to TMZ that the 2006 Disney smash 'f***** up his career at first.' Despite the film's slam-dunk success that launched Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, and Zac into stardom, Johnson's dad role typecast him hard. 'I was put out to pasture for being a dad in a Disney movie,' he dishes, admitting it took a full decade to shake off the setback and get his groove back. 😩
The drama didn't stop at work—'HSM' fame even cramped his family life. Johnson claims his kids' elementary school straight-up banned him from drop-offs because his presence turned into a total distraction. Talk about wild side effects! But don't cry for Bart; he's thriving now. In 2024, he snagged the role of Aaron in Kevin Costner's epic Yellowstone and locked a recurring gig in Taylor Sheridan's gritty Landman. Staying in the game paid off, icons only. 💪
And get this: during the interview, Johnson gushes over how the HSM franchise is slaying with the next gen. He even teases a potential fourth movie—yep, after the third dropped in 2008—and says he pitched his own idea. Nothing's greenlit yet, though, so we're all just 'sticking to the status quo' for now. Will Coach Bolton return to the court? Fingers crossed, or we'll be left dreaming of that 'start of something new.' 🔥