Just like Troy and Gabriella's relationship being propelled by auditions, so was Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens'. As Efron recalled to The Hollywood Reporter of his 17-year-old self of his "High School Musical" audition, "I had no idea what to expect. There were about 40 guys. And we walked in, and [director] Kenny Ortega was there with a piano, and they put everybody in a room together, and we ran through different phases of what we would need to do — first dancing, then singing — and a few of us got tapped on the shoulder [to leave], and I didn't. And next came the scene-reading sections, and I got paired with Vanessa Hudgens."

The scene reading and chemistry between Efron and Hudgens is what landed them the roles, and the two became an item by 2005, according to Elle. They made their first appearance as an official couple at a party thrown by co-star Ashley Tisdale, who played Sharpay in the Disney Channel film.

"We created a bond right from the start. We were like, 'We're doing this, it's us or nothing,'" Hudgens said on The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast, according to PEOPLE.