Before Barry’s Bay, Matt Cornett went to East High — with Olivia Rodrigo, no less. Cornett has become Prime Video’s new golden boy thanks to the new 2026 scripted series “Every Year After,” in which he plays Percy’s (Sadie Soverall) first love, Sam Florek. Cornett’s progression to a romantic lead came after he made a name for himself at the House of Mouse: His breakout role was in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” playing E.J. Caswell, a jock who turns out to be a theater kid at heart. Cornett starred in that series alongside other familiar Disney stalwarts, including Rodrigo, Joshua Bassett, and Sofia Wylie.
During his run on “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” Cornett also played an extraterrestrial named A-Lan in the third installment of Disney’s Zombies franchise. Before that, he had previously booked guest appearances on TV shows such as “Southland,” “Criminal Minds,” “The Middle,” and “Life in Pieces.” The actor also won a Young Artist Award in 2016 for a recurring role in the Nickelodeon sitcom “Bella and the Bulldogs.”
Matt Cornett wants to take on more challenging roles
Although Matt Cornett credits Disney for his rise to fame, he told Grumpy Magazine in 2026 that he was eager to take on more challenging roles in future. “I’ve done a lot of stuff with Disney, and they’re so great, goofy, fun, silly, and so awesome,” he said. “But I’ve never really gotten to do something where I had to tap into an emotional level of myself and Sam. I really am excited for people to see that different side of my abilities.”
With “Every Year After” renewed for Season 2, Cornett is set to reprise his role as Sam. The upcoming episodes will be based on Carley Fortune’s book, “One Golden Summer,” allowing for Sam’s older brother, Charlie, to fall in love, too.
Before returning to Barry’s Bay, Cornett will also lead the 2026 summer romp “Bad Counselors,” in which plays one of two frat boys who, after comitting a crime, pretend to be Christian camp counselors to fulfill their community service requirement. The film will have a limited theatrical release from July 22 to July 27.
