Ashley Tisdale Talks Books, 2000s Trends She Doesn’t Miss and Her ‘High School Music’ Wardrobe (Exclusive)
Plus, find out how she’s keeping her two dogs, Ziggy and Sushi, content this fall with Nylabone.
Key Takeaways
- Read for growth: She recommends The Presence Process for presence and healing.
- Share nostalgia: She shows her kids 'High School Musical' and her past work.
- Care for pets: She backs Nylabone’s real-meat chews that calm her anxious dog.
You may recognize Ashley Tisdale from her early 2000s reign on Disney Channel as Sharpay Evans, Maddie Fitzpatrick and the voice of Candace Flynn. Now, the actress, singer and entrepreneur is a mom of two children, Jupiter and Emerson, as well as a dog mom of two, Ziggy and Sushi.
Not only is the actress continuing her work on-screen, but she’s also making waves as the owner of Frenshe and her lifestyle and wellness blog, By Ashley French. In addition to working on new projects and reminiscing on nostalgic moments from that era, Tisdale is currently teamed up with Nylabone, which has just launched its first-ever chew toys made with real meats.
Woman’s World had a moment to chat with Tisdale about all things early 2000s, including her iconic characters, her current favorites and Ziggy and Sushi’s favorite new chews.
Woman’s World: Are there any books you’re currently reading that you love or any you’ve read that you can’t stop recommending?
Ashley Tisdale: I’m not the biggest reader because I do read a lot of scripts. If I get into a book, it’s usually a wellness or mindfulness book. I love reading something that’s going to better myself. I suffer from anxiety and I’ve had depression in the past and postpartum depression, so I really love to revisit those books sometimes. There’s a really good book that is called The Presence Process. It does make you very present to the point where I realized I did suffer from anxiety. It was like opening up Pandora’s Box, but it made me very present, so I do love that book and any type of book that feels healing.
WW: What about TV shows? Is there a hit show you can’t stop watching?
Ashley Tisdale: I definitely like everything on Bravo, like The Real Housewives. Every single night, there’s something on Bravo. I do want to see Practical Magic 2. I love the first one.
WW: What is one early 2000s fashion or beauty trend you want to see make a comeback?
Ashley Tisdale: You know, I did see Kelly Wearstler wear a skirt over jeans. That one is kind of fun. I could see that one coming back. The leg warmers were not my favorite, but I loved them at the time. Also the tiny skirts, but I don’t think we need those—I have young kids now.
WW: What are some of your routines and rituals to reset for a new season?
Ashley Tisdale: We just love Halloween—we’re a Halloween family. As soon as September hits, we’re already thinking of what the Halloween decorations are. I love fall. It’s my favorite. It’s like the land of chai lattes. I love hiking in the cool weather.
WW: Earlier this year was the 20th anniversary of High School Musical. What is one thing you loved the most about playing Sharpay?
Ashley Tisdale: It’s really cool to have done all of these things that [my kids] enjoy now. [My daughter] Jupiter really enjoys High School Musical and my music and so it’s cool to be able to show your kids what you’ve done. Phineas and Ferb is still on, so she actually gets to come to the recording studio and see me record. I can’t believe that one is still on. I started it at 18 years old, which is the craziest, longest running job.
[My husband and I] were at San Ysidro Ranch for our anniversary and this table of girls were there for a bachelorette party, and one of the girls was, like, “Hi, we are such huge fans, and our bachelorette really loves Sharpay,” and I was, like, “Oh that’s so nice.” Then she’s, like, “No, no, we used to call her Sharpay,” and she had a T-shirt that said Miss Sharpay, and then Evans was crossed out with her married name. I was so excited to make her night because that’s such a cool, weird coincidence that I was there. I love that people have loved the movies and still love the movies. It feels like my high school experience.
WW: Of the three films, which is your favorite to watch as a viewer?
Ashley Tisdale: Wow, that’s hard. I always feel like the first one is such a classic.
WW: I read that you kept Sharpay’s entire wardrobe from the first film.
Ashley Tisdale: I do. I have all of her [wardrobe].
WW: Do you ever break open the closet and look at them?
Ashley Tisdale: Definitely. It’s in my storage unit, and I was, like, ‘I should try these on.’ I was kind of scared because I’ve had two kids since, but I still fit in them. It’s wild. I tried them on and I did a little social thing for all the fans.
WW: Is there an outfit of hers that is your favorite to this day?
Ashley Tisdale: Probably the “Bop to the Top” dress.
WW: Phineas and Ferb continues to make a comeback, having returned after a decade. Why do you think this show hits home for so many fans?
Ashley Tisdale: I do think TikTok brought it back because a lot of the TikTok trends were a Candace song or Phineas, and so I do think it was the power of TikTok. It’s just a feel-good show. We always want to know what they’re gonna do that summer. It’s one of those things where it has such a huge audience where 30-year-olds have watched it, and now nine-year-olds are obsessed with it. It’s kind of like The Simpsons, I guess, in that way.
WW: If you could go back and reprise any of your past roles, which character would you want to play again?
Ashley Tisdale: I feel like I do have a dream role that I still haven’t done yet, and I want to do that, but I don’t know if I’d want to go back to play something [again]. Except Candace [in Phineas and Ferb] has always been there, so I’m always playing her. But I feel like it’d be hard to go back. My life has changed so much and when you play those characters, it’s hard to tap back into them instead of playing something new.
I know there’s the nostalgia of everything, and people love that, but I’ve never really wanted to rely on it, and I always like to keep moving forward and do new things. That’s important for me, to accomplish things that are new versus relying on something in the past. It’s like I love Friends, but I also love seeing Jennifer Aniston play other characters.
WW: Tell me a bit about your partnership with Nylabone.
Ashley Tisdale: I have two dogs and I’ve been a dog lover for so long. I had my dogs before I had kids, and then the kids come and everything is chaotic and crazy. Ziggy’s always been a pretty anxious dog, so now with all the loud chaos, she’s even more anxious. I was just excited to find this product from Nylabone to celebrate its first ever two toys made with real meat. As much as you think about your kids and the ingredients in their food, and I think about what’s in my food, of course I’m going to think about what’s in my dog’s food and what they’re chewing on. It’s something that Ziggy truly loves and it helps her feel a lot calmer because it distracts her from all of the mayhem.
Conversation
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