Joshua Bassett says High School Musical series creator ’empowered’ him to ‘be who he truly is’
The creator of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series was “instrumental” in allowing Joshua Bassett to live more authentically, according to the actor.
Bassett, who plays Ricky Bowen in the Disney Plus series, has reunited with Tim Federle on another Disney production: Better Nate Than Ever, a musical focusing on an unpopular 13-year-old with ambitious dreams of conquering Broadway.
Speaking about the upcoming film with The Hollywood Reporter, the 21-year-old said of the director and writer: “Tim’s superpower is that he empowers people and he believes in people in such a way that it allows them to believe in themselves. “Tim Federle has been instrumental in empowering me to be who I am, truly.
Meeting him three years ago through High School Musical and seeing who he is and being so inspired by him, he’s changed my life in so many ways. “He’s so fearless, and it’s allowed me to be fearless because of that.” In 2021, Bassett came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in an interview with GQ, where he said he’s “anti-coming out” but “people are welcome to have boxes if they need them.” “There are plenty of letters in the alphabet… Why bother rushing to a conclusion?” he explained. “Sometimes your letter changes, sometimes you try a different one, other times you realize you’re not what you thought you were, or maybe you always knew. “All of these can be true.
