Ashley Tisdale Reveals Challenges of Playing a Prostitute in 'Amateur Night' and Breaking Out of the 'HSM' Mold

Ashley Tisdale started acting at the age of 3 — so she was already a showbiz vet by the time she landed the fame-making role of Sharpay Evans in Disney’s absurdly popular High School Musical series. She’s grateful for the part and what’s it done for her career, but doesn’t want to be defined by it.

Stepping out of her comfort zone was part of the reason she signed on for Amateur Night, a new R-rated comedy in which she plays a punk-rock prostitute named Fallon. The film centers around a hapless Los Angeles architect (Jason Biggs) so desperate for work that he falls into a gig chaperoning escorts around town.

The 31-year-old Tisdale stopped by Yahoo Thursday for a Facebook Live chat (watch above) in which we discussed Amateur Night, her experience on HSM, and her various other ventures. Some highlights:

—Tisdale had to fight for Amateur Night. When she first went to audition, she was told she wasn’t right for the role, likely because of her Disney pedigree. So for her next meeting, Tisdale dressed the part, literally, by wearing “stripper boots.” The directors (Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse, who also cowrote the film based on their real experience) were instantly won over.

—”Every day I find it challenging,” Tisdale said about breaking out of the Disney pigeonhole. But the actress said she’s faced obstacles her entire career, pointing to the fact that she originally had a hard time landing the High School Musical role even though she was on a Disney Channel show at the time (The Suite Life of Zach and Cody).

—Tisdale has big-time love for Jason Biggs. She said the film’s lead actor made a great first impression, buying the whole cast and crew sushi for dinner on the film’s first night of filming. And yes, she asked him what it was like to film that apple pie scene in American Pie.

Amateur Night is now in theaters and on video-on-demand. Watch the trailer: