Born December 14, 1988 in Salinas, California to a father of Irish and Native American extraction and a mother who is Filipino, Chinese and Latina, Vanessa Anne Hudgens grew up living all along the West Coast from Oregon to Southern California. She began her career in the world of musical theatre at the tender age of 8, enjoy early roles in stage productions of \u201cEvita,\u201d \u201cCarousel,\u201d \u201cThe Wizard of Oz,\u201d \u201cThe King & I,\u201d \u201cThe Music Man,\u201d \u201cCinderella\u201d and \u201cDamn Yankees,\u201d experience which gave Vanessa the opportunity to showcase her impressive range of singing, dancing and acting skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She made her feature film debut in Catherine Hardwicke\u2019s \u201cThirteen\u201d opposite Holly Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood. Soon thereafter, she co-starred in the action-adventure film \u201cThunderbirds\u201d and landed a gig as a recurring guest star on Disney Channel\u2019s \u201cThe Suite Life of Zach & Cody.\u201d Her other television credits include appearances on \u201cQuintuplets,\u201d \u201cBrothers Garcia,\u201d \u201cStill Standing\u201d and \u201cRobbery Homicide Division.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was, however, Vanessa\u2019s role on Disney Channel\u2019s breakaway sensation \u201cHigh School Musical\u201d that has garnered her the most praise and attention. In it, she plays Gabrielle Montez, the sweet girl torn between her attraction to both basketball jock Troy Bolton and the school musical auditions. Vanessa played Gabrielle again in the equally-successful sequels \u201cHigh School Musical 2\u201d and \u201cHigh School Musical 3.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While acting has consumed the bulk of her attention, she still has found the time to devote herself to singing and performing. After releasing her debut solo album \u201cV\u201d\u2014a captivating variety of rock, electronic and R&B styles\u2014Vanessa toured with the Cheetah Girls, and followed that up with her second album, \u201cIdentified.\u201d And she is presently working on two upcoming films, \u201cBeastly\u201d and \u201cSucker Punch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As business savvy as she is attractive, Vanessa has the rare distinction of landing simultaneously on both Forbes Magazine<\/em>\u2019s High Earners under 30 List and on People Magazine<\/em>\u2019s 100 Most Beautiful List, and while still in her teens. Here, she talks about her new film, Bandslam<\/em>, a music-driven drama where she moves out of her comfort zone to play a moody loner called Sa5m (pronounced \u201cSam\u201d because the \u201c5\u201d is silent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Hi Vanessa, thanks for taking some time out from your hectic schedule to give me an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: Of course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: I know you\u2019re in the middle of making a public appearance right now, and it sounds like you\u2019re being mobbed by fans as we speak. Are you okay?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: It\u2019s a little crazy, but it\u2019s all good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Great! Well, what interested you in playing Sa5m in Bandslam<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: Just the fact that she was different from the character I was stuck playing in High School Musical. Hearing \u201cintroverted\u201d and \u201cdeadpan\u201d in the same sentence was interesting, and that was what I was looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: How was it working with Todd Graff as a director?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: He was great. It was nice having him as a director, because he used to be an actor as well. So, he was totally there for the actors which was really nice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: And how did you get along with your co-stars Gaelan [Connell] and Aly [Michalka] and the rest of the cast?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: It was a blast! We had so much fun. Aly\u2019s an amazing girl. We went shopping, and South by Southwest [Music and Film Festival] was going on in Austin while we were shooting there. So we went to see Willie Nelson, and we saw a bunch of movies with the cast, too. It was just fun, a lot of fun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: I knew that you played piano, but is there any truth to the rumor that you do your own guitar playing in Bandslam<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: Yes, I learned how just for this movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Are you going to keep playing guitar?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: I guess that\u2019s kind of a given, but I haven\u2019t really picked one up again yet. I should, and wish I had, but I haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: I understand you received classical voice training as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: Yeah, my professional training was in opera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: You sing, dance, play instruments and act. Which is your favorite?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: Umm\u2026. Acting is the one that I\u2019ve always pursued the most, though I do miss dancing like crazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: What type of message do you think Bandslam<\/em> is trying deliver to its audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: To not be afraid to try new things. I think this movie really breaks it down to show how easy things can be if you really just give it a shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: How did feel to be named to People Magazine<\/em>\u2019s 100 Most Beautiful People in the World List two years in a row, last year and again this year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: [Giggles] It\u2019s nice\u2026 It\u2019s flattering\u2026 But it\u2019s weird in a sense, too. [Laughs] I don\u2019t really think about it every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: You\u2019re a beautiful mix of many different ethnicities. Is there any one with which you identify the closest?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: I was pretty much raised American. Parts of my mom\u2019s Filipino culture I love, but I\u2019m pretty much American.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: You also made Forbes Magazine<\/em>\u2019s High Earners under 30 List. So you were named both the most beautiful and most successful while still in your teens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: It\u2019s bizarre. It\u2019s a crazy thought. I think that if I really stopped to think about it too much, it would get a little overwhelming. But honestly, I don\u2019t dwell on it, so it never really sinks in. Therefore, I genuinely don\u2019t have a reaction to it. I hear about it, but I\u2019m generally too busy going through the motions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: No, I think I\u2019ve been asked every single question in the book over these past four years. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: Everybody gets afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VH<\/strong>: I\u2019m extremely happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: The Teri Emerson question: when was the last time you had a good laugh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n