“You have to get stoned and watch it”: Megan Fox’s litigious interpretation of ‘High School Musical’
Credit: Far Out / 20th Century Fox
For some of us who grew up in the 2000s, the High School Musical film series was something sacred, and naturally, as an eight-year-old, I had everything from pyjamas and T-shirts emblazoned with the ‘HSM’ logo in glitter to dolls, magazines, posters, annuals, and even a branded Magic 8 Ball.
With 2007’s High School Musical 2 came even more hits, even more drama, and even more merchandise, and for my schoolfriends and me, there was no such thing as too much High School Musical. We could watch the series on repeat, and when it came to an end with 2008’s High School Musical 3: Senior Year, we said our goodbyes to this beloved group of theatrical, albeit irritating, teenagers.
It might have been laden with corny moments, some questionable acting, and some far-fetched storylines, but HSM really was a defining series for many of us. Exploring schoolroom hierarchies, romance, break-ups, friendships, and parental pressures, the franchise was rooted in many real and relatable issues (although maybe not for ten-year-olds, to be fair).
Yet, the film frequently contrasted these real-world issues with an unexpected musical number, bringing enemies and lovers together into this landscape of excess and pure drama. Every kid who enjoyed it wanted to be part of it, watching the Wildcats from the bleachers or sampling Zeke’s créme brulée. And who didn’t want to put in a shift at Lava Springs alongside all of their friends?
OK, so the movie franchise might not have been as obsessively adored by everyone, with various critics slagging the films, but clearly, they weren’t appreciative of the brilliance of ‘Fabulous’ or ‘Humuhumunukunukuapua’a’. Maybe they weren’t watching the film through the right lens, either. For Megan Fox, the Transformers star who was one of the 2000s’ most recognisable faces, an interview with Esquire back in 2009 led to a surprising revelation about the series.
“You have to get stoned and watch it,” Fox told the publication. It’s not out of the ordinary for people to get high while watching a movie for kids, finding a strikingly different interpretation of it as a result. What Fox discovered, though, was something far from director Kenny Ortega’s original vision, I’m sure.
“Let me tell you what it’s really about. High School Musical is about this group of boys who are all being molested by the basketball coach, who is Zac Efron’s dad,” she said, referring to the character of Coach Jack Bolton, played by Bart Johnson, adding, “It’s about them struggling to cope with this molestation. And they have these little girlfriends, who are their beards. Oh, and somehow there’s music involved.”
Now, this seems like a pretty original interpretation from Fox; I don’t think anyone else has ever watched the High School Musical franchise and gleaned a child abuse storyline. Maybe the actor just smokes some really strong weed?
No fan theories about the franchise have even been as crazy as this, and there are plenty floating about online which are considerably more believable. Whether people are discussing supposed clues regarding a secret homosexual relationship between Chad and Ryan or calling Sharpay the real victim of the film, I think most fans would take one of these theories over Fox’s questionable drug-induced claim.
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