Olivia Rodrigo will return to High School Musical: The Musical: The Series for season 3
9 December 2021, 15:26
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Will Olivia Rodrigo be in HSMTMTS season 3? Here's what she's said.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series fans assemble. Olivia Rodrigo will officially return to star as Nini in season 3.
Ever since High School Musical: The Musical: The Series first aired on Disney+ back in 2019, Olivia Rodrigo has been one of the show's main cast members playing the lead role of Nini Salazar-Roberts. However, this year Olivia has skyrocketed into international superstardom thanks to her singles, 'Drivers License', 'Deja Vu' and 'Good 4 U', and her debut album Sour.
READ MORE: High School Musical: The Series season 3: Release date, cast and news about the Disney+ show
Taking Olivia's newfound success into consideration, many fans have wondered whether or not Olivia will carry on acting in HSMTMTS going forward. Since season 2 started airing this year, Olivia has actively stopped referencing the show on her social media pages. Now Olivia and the showrunner of HSMTMTS have revealed what her future on the show will be.
Is Olivia Rodrigo leaving High School Musical: The Series?
No. Well, not yet at least. In an Entertainer of the Year profile for TIME, Olivia reveals that she will "return for Season 3" of the Disney+ show and that filming starts in January 2022. However, she also says that music is now her priority: "Songwriting is the thing I take most seriously in my life. It’s the most personally gratifying too." In other words, Season 3 may be her last.
Speaking with Hollywood Life about Nini's future after the season 2 finale, HSMTMTS showrunner Tim Federle said: "I think things are open-ended actually for a number of characters just because you want the maximum flexibility going forward." In the episode, Olivia seems almost over East High. She phones Gina's producer brother Jamie to work on music together.
Tim then added: "Look, I have so much respect for Olivia as a songwriter and as a human and what her own dreams are. I love High School Musical with Olivia. I think Olivia is a massive part of our success but I think Season 3 is sort of a TBD in terms of where Nini’s journey would go."
What has Olivia Rodrigo said about her future on HSMTMTS?
Olivia Rodrigo posts hilarious All I Want TikTok
Speaking with the Guardian in May, Olivia refused to discuss her relationship with Disney. When asked if she is looked after by them, she said: "Oh, ho ho ho, these are hot topics" and then explained that she doesn't want to "get [her] foot in [her] mouth". Olivia also revealed that she is "committed to HSM for two more years" but wants to now "focus on music".
She said: "I think it’s really hard to split time between the two and there are very few artists who do that efficiently, because acting is based on being a good liar and presenting a version of yourself that’s believable, and being a songwriter is the complete opposite. It’s like, here are all of my deepest, darkest secrets and I want you to know me so personally."
Based on what Olivia's said, it looks like she is eager to leave HSMTMTS but she is contractually obligated to work on the show for at least one more season. However, taking Tim's recent comments into account, it's possible that Olivia has renegotiated her contract to leave the show earlier or arranged to only appear in a few episodes of season 3.
We will likely have to wait until HSMTMTS season 3 drops to learn exactly how much Olivia is in the seaon and what her future in the show is.
