‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ Corbin Bleu Appearance Was Inspired By Matt LeBlanc

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has always adored High School Musical. After all, it’s right there in the name. But in Season 3, the Disney+ comedy is taking its Wildcats fandom to a whole new level with the addition of guest star Corbin Bleu. Though this is jerkier version of Bleu is one that fans have never seen before, showrunner Tim Federle assured Decider that the man behind Chad Danforth knew exactly what he was getting into.

“I’m a giant Corbin fan, and I basically called him and I was like, ‘Will you play a jaded version of yourself if I promise it pays off at the end?'” Federle told Decider. “And he was like, ‘Yes.'”

For this meta role, the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series team went straight to Bleu instead of asking any of the other stars. “In years past, we’ve had Kaycee Stroh, and we’ve had Lucas Grabeel, and we love it, and we love them. But we specifically went to Corbin this time, because I had a feeling he would do it,” Federle said.

When Stroh and Grabeel appeared in Season 1, their roles were as positive and inspiring as you’d expect from this lighthearted Disney+ show. Stroh, who originally played Martha Cox, cameoed as a member of the school board. Meanwhile, Grabeel, who played Ryan Evans, appeared in a dream sequence where he encouraged Miss Jenn (Kate Reinders) to go after the role of a lifetime. That’s not the version of himself that Bleu plays. In “Happy Campers”, Bleu arrives at Camp Shallow Lake as the special celebrity who will oversee Disney’s very first high school production of Frozen. But instead of the cheery Bleu fans remember, HSM:TM:TS’s version of the star is a brusque Hollywood type who has no time or patience for the dazzled teens around him.

“You know Episodes, the show that Matt LeBlanc starred on where he played a version of himself? That was kind of how we framed it this season for Corbin. I just had this instinct he’d play a good cocky version of himself,” Federle said. Ultimately, he plays the character so well because it’s the exact opposite of who he is. He is exactly what you dream Corbin would be like in real life. He’s so grounded and kind. But yeah, the OG High School Musical vibes are real this season.”

But Bleu won’t just be playing against type. You can’t have one of the biggest stars from the High School Musical franchise on your set without a show-stopping musical number.

“He has a big song later this season, this big duet that is really thrilling,” Federle revealed. “I’ll tease that he asked me for a very specific type of song. And there’s a particular cast member… I mean, if you squint at the trailer, you can probably figure it out. But there’s a cast member whose dancing really impressed him and he was like, ‘Can we dance together?’ and we created this thing for them that’s really exciting.”

Season 3 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premieres on Disney+ Wednesday, July 27.