Olivia Rodrigo's Role In 'HSMTMTS' Gets Drastically Reduced In Season 3

Before her 2021's colossal breakout single "Driver's License" soared to the top music charts, Olivia Rodrigo played a vital part in Disney's teen show "High School Musical: The Musical."

The singer stars as the brown-eyed Nini Salazar-Roberts, garnering acclaim Olifor her singing talents and sweet personality. Her quirky clothing and love troubles further endeared her to fans who have watched the show across its two seasons.

With season three set to premiere this year, Disney has revealed that Rodrigo's character would only appear in a recurring role.

Read below for more details.

Disney+ revealed "High School Musical: The Musical:" is returning for a third installment in an announcement video on Twitter just six weeks after the season two finale aired. Although the news did not reveal any details about the cast, fans suspected that Rodrigo's feature in the upcoming sequel would be scaled back despite her character being part of the main cast.

Their fears were confirmed when the streaming service revealed the cast members for the show just before production started earlier this year. Season three will return Joshua Bassett, Matt Cornett, Sofia Wylie, Julia Lester, Dara Renee, and Frankie Rodriguez as regulars. At the same time, Rodrigo, alongside Kate Reinders Olivia Rose Keegan, will have recurring status in the upcoming sequel.

While "High School Musical" and "Beauty and The Beast" took center stage for seasons one and two, the showrunners announced that "Frozen" would kick off the new chapter for the in-school musical.

The new season will incorporate music from Disney's "Camp Rock" and the "High School Musical" franchise, which featured Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers.

The upcoming installment will follow the core characters while they visit Camp Shallow Lake, a family-owned resort in California. There, the show's cast will delve into a world of romance and joy in the wilderness while working on a "Frozen" summer performance.

The plot of season three contrasts with the previous series, which spotlighted the characters' school year. Additionally, the team of teens would be tailed by a docuseries production group, following them as they put on their best efforts to deliver in the musical.

In line with the story details, the showrunners moved the location of the set from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, giving the series the authentic feel of an eco-friendly summer camp.

Several new cast members, including Meg Donnelly, will join the regular HSMTMTS ensemble. Donnelly portrays Val, a camp counselor who helps with choreography for the musical and shares timely advice with the students.

Jason Earles, who starred in Hannah Montana, will play Dewey, the camp's director, and Corbin Bleu, who portrayed Chad Danforth in the first three High School Musical movies, appears as himself in the forthcoming HSMTMTS season 3.

Ben Stillwell, Aria Brooks, and Liamani Segur are all set to come as special guests. Although Rodrigo's presence will be missed, the showrunners hope that the added cast members will fill the void left by her scaled-back feature.

In season two of "HSMTMTS," Nini had a reduced feature even though she was part of the main cast. The storyline detailed that the singer was focusing more on her music career goals away from the theatrical engagement of the musical.

Like Nini, Rodrigo's career has since skyrocketed after releasing her debut single "Driver's License." The song's success has spawned the Disney star debut tour, which starts on April 2 later this year.

Rodrigo's scaled back presence in the upcoming new season is easily spoken for as fans can recall that Nini ended the season with a possible chance to get a record deal. As such, it gives an onscreen explanation of her absence while she is away, putting in the legwork for her upcoming tour.