The Cast of
High School Musical

One is making a movie with John Travolta. Another was a finalist on Dancing With the Stars. Three out of six have record contracts. All this, just for starring in a syrupy trifle for the Disney Channel. But then, High School Musical was never your average after-school special. Twelve million tweens-of-all-ages have watched and rewatched this tale of a spunky athlete (Zac Efron, 19) and an apple-cheeked math whiz (Vanessa Hudgens, 18) who battle a pair of drama geeks (Ashley Tisdale, 21, and Lucas Grabeel, 22) for the lead parts in, yes, a high school musical. And its triple-platinum soundtrack will likely be the biggest album of the year. ''I guess you can say it's opened a lot of doors,'' says the modest Efron, who'll play Tracy Turnblad's boyfriend, Link, in the upcoming Hairspray (Travolta is Tracy's mother, Edna). In March, shooting begins on an HSM sequel, and most of the cast is currently on a 40-city arena concert tour. That leaves very little time to press flesh with their many fans — even when they're Arnold Schwarzenegger. ''Zac is such a fan of him as a bodybuilder!'' Hudgens chirps. ''But we were just too busy.'' — Lynette Rice