Q: Who cried first?

ASHLEY: Monique cried first.

MONIQUE: No, no…

ASHLEY: Normally I do. But this time I did not. Kenny had said this amazing speech and that's what got us going. Hair and makeup even started crying.

CORBIN: The final scene in movie was actually the final scene we shot. The curtain closing on these characters, on their life in high school, it was very similar. Art mimics life. We were all up on stage reminiscing about these past three years. This was the same stage where we shot breaking free. This was the same stage where we experienced so many creative breakthroughs with each other, and friendships, it was a very emotional time.

VANESSA: I never went to high school, and I got to graduate with people I love dearly.

ZAC: We were on the stage, where so many things had happened to us. That's where it all started. It was symbolic of our journey. We'd come a long way as wildcats but more as individuals.

CORBIN: But to maintain our manhood we didn't cry in front of everyone on the stage, we waited until we got back to the makeup trailer. Then we just broke down.

ZAC: Corbin waited.

MONIQUE: We're the ones who get the attention (for this movie). That's not necessarily where all the attention is due. It's an ensemble, but Kenny is the cornerstone for us. He obviously made all our dreams come true. But he said, “Guys, I'm so proud of you. But I wanted you to know it was my dream. And this is the highlight of my career and I owe it all to you. I'm eternally grateful.” And we were just like…I was a dirty mess.

Q: All of the characters in the movie were trying to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives. Was this something you could relate to?

CORBIN: When I was a kid I wanted to be a marine bio or a plastic surgeon. Eventually I decided to be a pediatrician or actor. Now I can at least play a doctor on TV. I always knew I wanted the arts in my life, it was just whether it would be a full on career or not and the time came that I had to make a decision, I decided to go with what I love doing.

ZAC: I had no idea I wanted to be an actor. This was kind of my hobby. But various doors opened and I went through them and I ended up here today.

VANESSA: I grew up acting and singing and dancing. This is the dream job.

Q: Vanessa, was there anything specific that drew you to this part?

VANESSA: It wasn't the stereotypical lady, the fact that she is Hispanic is something I found really interesting, I'm really proud to be a part of it, there's not that many people who represent for a different ethnicity. Whenever I get a chance to go to Mexico I try my hardest to speak Spanish to connect with everybody but it really is an honor.

ASHLEY: I've always known what I've wanted to do. I've been in the business since I was three, and my parents didn't want me in the business. All they pushed me to do was have an education and go to school. I was doing commercials at a young age and touring the world with Les Mis at eight, but that was because I wanted to do it. I get inspired. I was very blessed. I usually put my mind to something and end up doing it, and not everyone can say they do that. So I am like my character Sharpay in a way – she always knows what she wants. But we go about it a different way.

MONIQUE: I'm not sure our characters have a clear vision of where they want to go. We're living in a time when kids need to know what they're doing by the time they're seven, and that's ridiculous. This movie says you don't need to know by the time you're eighteen, or ever. The only thing that's important is that you make a choice and that the choice is yours.

Q: Did this story make you think about the steps you took to get where you are, or the possibilities you’ll have in the future?

OLEYSA: There are possibilities. I was born in Russia, I grew up in a house without plumbing, and my parents, through a lot of luck, came to America and we were given this world. Anything is possible. I feel that every day when I wake up. I came from a little house, my dad hunted for our food. Now I work for Disney channel and I represent Mickey Mouse and that's awesome. That shows me that anything is possible if you have that courage. Failing something is beautiful. That's how you develop and that's how you grow.

Q: Have you been working on transitioning to more adult roles?

CORBIN: It's all about range. We as artists are never satisfied. You’ve got to always continue to stretch yourself. I've been in the studio working on my second album, and also went into producing. I produced a film with my father called Free Style.

ZAC: Before High School Musical 3 I filmed a movie called Seventeen Again, playing a 37-year-old guy in a 17-year-old’s body. And after that I'll be in a movie called Me and Orson Wells, more of a drama, set in 1937, about a theater troupe putting on their production of Julius Ceasar. So two different roles. (And) Footloose is coming together, we're trying to figure out the right way to do that.

Q: This film seemed to set up "High School Musical 4" as the Sharpay show.

ASHLEY: It is flattering to have an open door but I am doing other projects as well, and this project is something I'll always hold close to my heart. I have the best time on and off screen with this cast.

Q: Was waltzing difficult?

VANESSA: It was the most difficult dance I've had to do for these three movies just cause its so different; I've taken tap and jazz and hip hop but nothing could have prepared me for doing the waltz, the lifts we do, the turns we do. When Kenny told me about it I thought he was kidding, it's so far fetched, but I'm really proud of it. It's so sweet and romantic that it turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the movie. I'm really proud. Zac did an amazing job as well.

ZAC: When we were filming we took every opportunity to revel in the scenes and in the dances, because we knew this would be the last time we were all together in this capacity. We had two movies as background, so our characters were pretty established. We had the ability to actually run amiss, which is what you're seeing in “The Boys are Back.” We've never been able to do that before.

MONIQUE: I was very excited we were doing the waltzing. One cause I wasn't gonna be judged. But also because I think we have this idea of high school and the prom and that usually involves techno music, and short skirts, and how revealing can my prom dress be, and for the prom in our musical to be a waltz, I felt like it was very classy – a throwback to old movie musicals, and also bringing a class and integrity to a younger generation. It requires trust and requires you to be intimately close to someone without it being sexual. We're sending out an awesome message.

Q: If you could have any Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate play one of your cast members, who would you pick?

CORBIN: I'd love to see John McCain do Zac's solo

ZAC: That's a good answer.

“High School Musical 3” opens on October 24th.