Former Victorian lands part in ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year’
BY APRILL
October 09, 2008

Actor Matt Prokop, formerly of Victoria, landed the role of a lifetime when he was picked to play Jimmie “The Rocket” Zara in Disney’s “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.” Despite a hectic promotion schedule, Prokop sat down and took some time to answers questions for his hometown newspaper.

How has your life changed since you were cast in “High School Musical 3”?
You know, it hasn’t changed that much other than I went to see a movie last night and I got recognized, which was the first time that ever happened. So that was pretty crazy. And I actually got recognized at a red light, which was weird, too. So I would definitely say getting noticed, just from the trailer alone, has been new to me.

Were you a fan of the first two movies?
I was in the sense of I could be auditioning for it someday. But it wasn’t one of those things where I had to watch it. I wasn’t a die-hard fan, but I definitely enjoyed them.

Did you know people are already calling you the next Zac Efron? How do you feel about that?
I have been told that before. And if I have a career half as successful as his, I will be extremely blessed.

Any work lined up for after “High School Musical”?
Not at the moment. I’m just waiting for the movie to come out and then hopefully things will change.

What kind of acting career are you aspiring to?
I just want a really long-lasting career, like Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp, if I’m that lucky. Those are the actors I look up to.

As a newcomer, what was it like on the set of such a major movie?
It was definitely nerve-racking. Just in the sense you have Zac, Vanessa, Ashley, Corbin; all these people that have made “High School Musical” what it is today. You didn’t want to go into it thinking “Oh man, I gotta steal their spotlight.” You have to go into it and blend in and don’t be the one to screw up or overstay your welcome. But the cast truly welcomed us with open arms and loved us being there, so it made it easy to fit in.

Can you tell me a little bit about your character in the movie?
He is Jimmie “The Rocket” Zara, and he’s a sophomore at East High. He’s on the basketball team but doesn’t play a lot. He just does it because that’s the cool thing to do at East High. He’s kind of a rocker, not your typical “High School Musical” character. In his head he thinks he is a rock star.

Do you miss Victoria at all?
Yeah, and I try to come back around Christmas to see my family. I have to come back for Uncle Mutts and all the hometown favorites.

Are they planning on continuing the “High School Musical” franchise?
It’s definitely possible with the script from this movie, but I haven’t been spoken to about it yet, so I have no idea. But if there was, I would love to be in it.

Source: VictoriaAdvocate.com (link)

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