One audition later, and without any formal training, Bassett found himself being called back for James Cameron’s Avatar sequels. That turned out to be unnecessary, because when he was 16, an acting manager friend of his oldest sister suggested that he give acting a try. When Bassett imagined growing up, he saw himself majoring in directing and scoring movies at USC.
The single he released a week later, “Lie Lie Lie,” in which he sang about his reputation and false narratives, only added to the gossip, even though the song had been written months prior. 1 on the Billboard charts for eight weeks-the lyrics of which revolve around a recent breakup, online speculation instantly focused on Bassett, who many fans already believed to be dating Rodrigo. When his HSMTMTS costar Olivia Rodrigo released the hugely popular single “Drivers License”-it’s racked up over 1 billion streams since January 8 and sat at No. But Bassett has also found himself at the center of entertainment news in the past few months for other reasons. The fan attention isn’t surprising-after all, High School Musical is a major Disney franchise that has, in earlier iterations, produced stars like Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. Bassett jokes that he can’t wait to see our private lunch pieced together in video form, all over TikTok. "We're chilling," he says, as the fans move away and we watch their matching tiny backpacks dissolve down the street. "I have a sixth sense for that now," he says, while kindly smiling at two other teenagers who are shooting video with a hot pink iPhone covered in stickers. It only takes a few minutes before a collection of young women clocks him from outside and peers through the small, discreet window in front of us. "I love your pin," he says, complimenting a waiter on the small rainbow peeking out of her apron.
Joshua Bassett, the 20-year-old singer and star of Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, is sitting at a West Village restaurant in a light purple shirt, charming anyone and everyone who comes his way.