What You Don't Know About Sofia Wylie
Season 2 of "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" is on the horizon, and CapitalFM reports that it will pick up right where Season 1 left off. The students at East High School are preparing for the spring musical, "Beauty and the Beast." However, it doesn't all go to plan. The sensational Sofia Wylie returns as vivacious Gina. The 17-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona is best known for her part in the Disney Channel spin-off and as Buffy Driscoll on "Andi Mack."
Popbuzz outlines that while Wylie is super young, she's already got an immensely impressive CV. The young star is incredibly talented across the arts. Alongside playing Buffy Driscoll and Gina Porter, she's had roles in "Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn," and she played Mia in "Shook." Adding to her work onscreen, Wylie tried her hand at voice acting when she played Riri in "Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron," "Marvel Rising: Battle of the Bands," and "Spider-Man Maximum Venom."
She isn't the only famous face in her family, either. TVOM outlines that her sister, Isabella, is a talented chef and appeared in an episode of "Chopped Junior" on the Food Network. She went on to win. It'd seem that heaps of talent runs in Wylie's family, but here's what you might not know about the "High School Musical" star.
High School Musical was Sofia Wylie's dream
PEOPLE outlines that Sofia Wylie landed the role of Gina Porter in "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" when she was just 15 years old. And her love for the franchise was much longer-lived than that. The publication writes that a decade earlier, when she was just 5, Wylie won tickets to attend the "High School Musical 3" premiere.
"That was almost 10 years [ago] exactly. I was five and thankfully I won it," Wylie tells PEOPLE. "Now, 10 years later, I'm actually a part of 'High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,' a branch of the movies that was so beloved to me as a child. So, it's just such a full circle and I just can't really believe it."
The day was totally magical for Wylie and her family and is something that's stuck with her. "I don't think [my sister and I] spoke a word the whole time because we were in absolute shock. I would still be in shock if I met those people today! You know how everyone's doing those '10-year challenges?' This is mine," she told Entertainment Weekly. "Deep down, I've always known this was what I wanted to do, but I never actually thought that this could happen."
Sofia Wylie's first love was dance
Sofia Wylie hasn't just made a name for herself in the world of acting. PopSugar explains that she sings and dances too. The publication wrote that dancing was her first love. "I started dancing before acting and I love it so much," she said. She shares her routines on TikTok and Instagram.
Popbuzz notes that Wylie started dancing when she was 5. She's honed her skills, and it's led to her appearances on "So You Think You Can Dance" in 2011 and in 2016. She also danced alongside The Gentlemen on "America's Got Talent" in 2015. She even took her moves on the road. She was chosen to dance on Justin Bieber's Purpose Tour. Speaking about the opportunity to InStyle, she said, "I got to dance with him in my hometown in Arizona, and he touched my shoulder. I've never washed that shirt — it's still hung up in my room, and every time I look at it, I think of the Biebs touching my shoulder and asking what my name was."
If a super successful career in dance and acting wasn't enough, Wylie is also a recording artist. TVOM revealed that in 2019, she wrote and performed "Side by Side" for "Marvel Rising: Chasing Ghosts." "I've been working on my music career, spending endless hours in the studio creating original music," she told PopSugar. "Creating a song for 'Marvel Rising' seemed like the perfect opportunity to start letting fans know about my soon-to-release music."
Sofia Wylie wants to inspire people with her work
Sofia Wylie has spoken about how much of a dream the shows she's worked on have been for her. However, she's also said that she'd love for viewers to see the characters and storylines that are represented in her series and feel inspired.
In the Disney series "Shook," Wylie plays Mia, who dreams of dancing but can't get away from her responsibilities at home. Her dad died, and her mom is struggling to get by. She has to think about looking after her sister. "Mia, I think, can be a representation for everybody, not just girls or people of color, but I think for truly anybody who has lost somebody in their life or who has a single mom and financially can't go to everything that a lot of kids want to or are able to do," Wylie said to PEOPLE. "I think it allows people to just feel like they're not alone and they can get through anything. I think you can just inspire a lot of people, which is the number one thing I ever want to do when I'm filming a show."
Wylie has shared that in the past she's not been so confident. Speaking about her role in "Back of the Net" to Student Edge, she said, "everybody feels that internal fear of being the outsider and not fitting in. [Cory learns] she doesn't have to just be one categorized person."
Her biggest role model is another Disney face
The Disney Channel has produced some of the biggest performers, and Sofia Wylie has said she looks up to one in particular. She told PEOPLE that one of her favorite shows growing up was "Shake It Up." "I'm a huge fan of Zendaya. But I love the fact that [the stars in 'Shake It Up'] dance and sing and act — that's what I want to do," Wylie said. "I wanted to be kind of a triple threat. So, that was really inspiring."
Zendaya has transitioned from Disney star to Hollywood royalty. Wylie told InStyle that her career has always been something she's admired. "I've grown up watching Disney Channel like everybody else, and I always really looked up to Zendaya. I mean, what can't she do? She's just kind of everything. It's because of her that I wanted to be an actress and a dancer. She's really shaped me into the person I am today, and now I want to be able to do that for others," she said.
Her dog has an Instagram
Sofia Wylie has a super adorable dog who features heavily on her social media. However, Baby Violet also has her own strong Instagram following. Violet is a seriously stylish pooch, as Wylie and her family keep her in all of the coolest threads. She revealed to PEOPLE that keeping Violet looking fresh and cute is something she loves to do when she's not in front of the camera.
"I feel like I'm a professional dog stylist for hair because I love to wash her, cut her hair, clip her nails — it's so weird, but for some reason, it's so satisfying to me," Wylie said. "I get to spend time with the cutest little dog in the world." With over 3,000 followers to her name and making appearances on Wylie's Instagram feed every so often, Violet should be the envy of all celebrity pooches. Sharing a picture with her 2.3 million followers with her dog, Wylie wrote, "Share your light."
Sofia Wylie feels a connection to Peter Pan
Sofia Wylie has worked throughout her teen years and gained so much success so young. Fame has pushed her into the spotlight. However, she told Kidz World that she's holding on to her inner child. "Well, throughout the years when I get a year older I kind of dread it. One of my favorite Disney movies is 'Peter Pan' because it's talking about how you don't want to grow up. You just want to stay a kid forever. I want to stay a kid forever and I feel like I am a kid at heart," she said. "I love watching animated movies and that type of thing. It was kind of hard for me to leave the 12-year-old age and the pre-teens and go into the actual teens but I don't feel much different."
While Wylie still loves the movies of her past, she revealed there are some perks of getting older. "I think one of the good things is that, as you get older, you have more of a voice. I still am not rude to older people and am respectful but I can now become even more of a role model to younger girls," she said. "I think the biggest thing for me is becoming a role model."