Hey, Wildcats, this is Bart Johnson and you're listening to get your hit in the game.

Hi.

Everyone, welcome to get your hit in the game.

I am so excited for my guest today.

She's been a part of the High School musical franchise from the beginning.

You may know where as Gabriella monte Is.

Please welcome my friend, the lovely Vanessa Hudgens.

Hi, Vanessa Hudgins.

My goodness.

Well, hey, let's officially start by saying, welcome, Vanessa Hudgits twenty years here we are.

Can you believe?

Bilo can believe twenty twenty?

And I'm like, I'm too young.

I'm too young to that.

No, you're still in your twenties.

How could it be twenty years?

H Exactly?

It doesn't make any sense at all.

It's not laughing.

No, there is a problem here with the maths.

It's crazy.

It's so crazy.

I was watching actually just a little bit this morning because I was so I'm so excited to talk to you, because you know, people ask me all the time, who's your favor You worked with everybody, like who's your favorite?

I was like, well, I mean I love all my stuff was with Zach, Like I told, most of my scenes were a Zach and I love work.

Was I used to.

Let me tell you about Vanessa.

She's just my favorite.

Like you were always you were so amazing always on set, even you were just.

You were such a baby.

You're so young.

How old were you really?

I was like sixteen when we did the first one.

Sixteen years old.

Yes, so crazy.

But it's been you know, it's been twenty years, and I know, like everybody wants you to revisit high school music all the time because it means so much to them.

So thank you so much for wanting to do this.

And you know, for you anything, Ah, you're the best.

Well, you know, it's been twenty years, and I think it's like it's a good time.

Anytime there's a year with a zero on the end, it's good time to like reflect and you know, give back to the fans that have have been so good to us.

The entire way, and the new fans that keep on hopping on for the.

Journey, which is crazy, right do you see the little kids recognizing you and so excited to so crazy.

I'm like, it's just insane.

How like it continues to live on and have like legs of its own.

It just keeps on running.

And it's like the little kids are as excited as they were back then.

I know.

It's just like it's so timeless.

I feel like it's the true testament of like the power of music.

You know.

I just had the same conversation this morning.

I think it's I was being interviewed for a magazine and I said, I think it's like something about like the movie is amazing, it's got incredible message.

All of it's the spectacle and the dance numbers and everything, but like inside that hyper reality and inside that big, you know, exaggerated universe, is like the music is so grounded and it's so meaningful, right, And.

It's just the relationships and the stories.

I feel like it's just always relatable.

Like the high school grind.

I think that.

Go do that, like you can relate, you know, one of each of these characters.

That's so interesting.

I really didn't think of that particular, but of course, because everybody's been to high school, everybody's seen the whatever, the popular kids and all the dynamics that happen.

Yeah, yeah, relatable clicks, the clicks continue the clicks.

Who knows I don't know.

I'm sort of loop.

They could be so different.

Now I have a kid in high school right now, and I said, oh yeah, like hey, listen, you know when the bullies come, you know, give your heart.

He's like bullies Like that's like we went to school one hundred years ago.

It's no bully.

I'm like, wait what it's like it's all changed.

It's like twenty one Jump Street.

You know, like what there's number bullies.

That's good.

That's really good.

That's that's great to hear.

I mean, I'm sure that they are out there, but.

Nice feeling may be just a different Uh there's a different shade of type of you know.

Behind their screams now d exactly, it's a cyber bullying.

That's what's happening.

That's the color of this bullet.

Honestly.

Yeah.

Well, I want to know everything that you're doing.

I mean the fans, of course, they want to catch up with you in your life.

But can we talk about the beginning real quick?

Like I actually don't know this story, Like I don't know, like what was your audition like, or like what did you go through it to get this part?

Did you have any idea it was going to be this cool musical, tell me the story.

Okay, So I was.

I guess I was fifteen.

I had done a pilot for Disney's channel called The Bus Life with Kiki Palmer Babies, and it didn't get picked up, and I was just like and I had auditioned for Disney a bunch and I was like, it's never going to happen for me.

And this audition came up for high school musical and I was like, I don't want to go.

I'm not going to get it.

Oh, Liken, you can't do that, like give yourself a shot, give yourself a chance, like just go in there and like do your thing.

I was like, fine, I went in be grudgingly and did.

The audition, and then pretty soon after that, like I mean, it was a normal audition.

I don't even remember what I sang.

I think maybe I sang like either it was either like Angel I think.

It's called by Jessica Simpson or Reflection from Mulan.

It's one of thos, and did like one of the scenes and then ended up getting a callback.

So I think the second, oh, the second callback I think was the mix and match.

It was like a giant casting call of probably like fifty people, and it was in I feel like it was in like Burbank and everyone was there, and I feel like we learned like a dance routine that Chucky of course led.

I'm pretty sure if my memory and husbands want to hear her so, but I think I'm.

Pretty sure he was there.

And then we got like mixed and matched with a bunch of people.

I got mixed up.

I think I just got put with Zach right away, and me and Ashley had actually done a commercial together, like a few months before that.

We knew each other, and in that commercial that we did, it was four years and I remember we were like doing this like dance thing together in it, and.

Yeah, we just like hit it off.

And so they're like, oh, hey, that's so funny you're here, and me and Zach did the scene together.

I sang with him.

I feel like he got paired up with somebody else as well.

I don't know, and it all seems like such a blur.

And then I feel like a few weeks after that, I got the final callback and it was like a final pairing where there was one.

Other girl there for Gabriella.

One other guy there for Troy, and we like swapped mixmatched, and yeah, that was it.

I got the call and they were like, I want you to do it and I was like, oh my god, it's finally happening.

You been at it for a while by then.

I mean, yeah, like I grew up doing theater.

I did my first film when I was thirteen years old.

It was called thirteen.

I had come off of this big studio film called Thunderbirds, which had shot in London for like six months.

So I was like, the wheels were turning and I was.

Like, yeah, things, yeah.

But it was very exciting because coming from like a musical theater background that is and still it was and still is where my heart remains.

So I was very excited.

And then of course, like I was a child and like this boy and I was like, oh my god, he's so cute.

So like the chemistry was so real.

That's so cute.

I just watched the karaoke scene and the way you I gotta say, like, you know, it's like that could have been in any movie, just the way just your little glances and like you know, you could tell like it's palatable.

Man.

It was real, right, It were so real.

It helps when it's real, right.

Yeah, it really does, especially when you're young and like it's it's all sweet and like innocent.

You know, yeah, she get older playing things that aren't so innocent.

Yeah, you gotta play pretend.

Not Charlie anymore, so you're not.

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

It's so cute to revisit that and see you guys like those looks you're having and I saw, yeah, you can put that in anything, like you can put that in a big studio drama.

It's like it's just like, that's that's another thing I think is so good about a movie and why you guys are so good because you played it so genuine and so organic and you know, like you played it so real.

It's just it's so touching.

I think that's the charm of it.

Yeah, it's so sweet, and I mean, like it's so funny.

Looking back, I was just like, oh my god, I was so innocent, but I was also I think playing so innocent, like the hat.

Of the hat, and I was like wow, yeah usually pure.

Yes, I mean you did have like the most charming, pure, just wide eyed kind of innocence to your Your character was like.

Funny though, because I'm like that totally was who I was.

But the little like rebellious teen inside of me was like, no, this isn't me.

Oh I care than that.

You know.

I look back and I'm like, oh my god, I was trying to prove.

I will say though, when I saw when I saw you in Greece Live and you came out as Rizzo, I was like Vanessa, Oh my god, like a like.

A power is bad, Like oh my gosh.

Man, that that floored me, Like I thought, you killed that role, like so far beyond what I was ready for.

It was so good, Thank you.

That was so much fun.

I mean, just such an iconic part, so you know how to really look up and I put my own spin on it, but pay homage to the work that's been done there before.

And yeah, it's such an iconic part and was so much fun.

I mean, how crazy, like for those that haven't seen it, like you did the whole thing, like you guys shut the whole thing live, like right, the camera's like running from scene to scene and.

Yeah, no, it was.

It was my first experience in like the live musical televised situation because I later did Rent Live but it was just it was such a unique experience because it's live like theater, but it's televised, so you're rehearsing it, You're making sure everyone's like in the right place for the cameras.

I mean, like we were led by the incredible Tommy Kale, who is just so phenomenal at his job and really steered the ship for us to succeed.

The craziest thing about that for me, it was my dad passed away the night before, so I was just like coming off of this like extreme grief and like trauma and like masking it with this character who masks everything because she wants to come off with this as this heart, but she's really a sweetheart and like just ultimately wants to be loved as we all do.

So it was like very interesting.

Do you feel like you do?

You?

I mean, I was so recent must be the hardest thing to do ever?

Or was?

It was tough?

It was tough.

I had to like pull myself together really aggressively to like get the makeup on and keep it on and power through.

But you know, I think that like as someone who comes from musical theater, like all the theater geeks out there, know what I mean, Like this show must go on, like you commit yourself to storytelling, and like my dad supported me through thick and thin, and he would have wanted nothing more than for me to continue on.

And do the show.

But it's I don't know, it's like a it was crazy and devastating.

But also like a really beautiful outlet for me to channel.

I was going to say, do you think like it's like, so it was only a day, but like were you able to use that?

I mean us as actors, like we want to use real pain to feel real emotion in our work.

I definitely had to disassociate quite a bit because.

That type, like losing your parent is something that is like one of the most heartbreaking things ever.

Like I would have fallen to the floor if I actually.

Used it right right, Oh yeah, but I got to like honor him for sure, and like whether or not it is conscious, like the pain of course is there, and definitely I think peeked through and like, well worse than when I sang worse things.

Yeah, I lost my dad too a while ago to cancer, and uh, and it's like yeah, like use using it doesn't sound very nice, but it's like there's more actor talk, like you know, like visiting things that are really painful and isn't is an outlet And if you could do it through an art form, it's like it could be cathartic.

Cathartic.

Yeah, exactly.

And I know your dad like I know your dad, like we spent time together and he was always yeah, I love your I love your mom, by the way, I love Stella, like I just you know, your family's amazing and they were always there and they're so present and so pleasant beyond set and when you guys are working, I'm hanging out with them.

It's I kind of feel like, do you feel like Stella was kind of like a like a mascot on set like she was.

She was like a mascot slash like set guru, all of like seven years old.

Like everybody just worshiping her because she was like she was the only I think she was the only little kid.

I mean Dylan had I mean Dylan was there, but he and he was young, but Stella was she was just like cutest little.

Figure see young.

But she also I had spunk beyond her years.

Yes, yes, Like she could sit down.

Entertaining and she could like hit the conversation.

With any adult in the room, like, oh, hey, I was just engaged in yes, yes, yeah, And you're talking to this tiny, little, little, cutest little Vanessa doll you've ever seen.

That was the other thing.

She was so tiny, like your petite and she's small for yea, your.

Mama's really petit too.

Yeah, the fan tell her, I'd give her a big hug for you.

Miss.

I want to see her Stella too, I was seeing Stella.

I don't think I've I think I've seen Stella system since on set.

That's not right, I missed those guys.

That makes that happen.

Yeah, yeah for sure.

Uh okay, So gosh, she's Vanessa.

There's someone's to talk about.

I don't even or I just love being here with you though, because like I just got the best memories.

Yes, best time we spent together.

Uh okay.

A question that everybody, I'm sure you get these.

I'm gonna have to give you a couple of the ones I'm for you or heard.

When when did you know this was something special?

And not?

I mean, there's a Disney Channel movie and back then that that wasn't like the biggest deal in the world.

But Okay, we're having big tails.

To me my Disney Channel movies, Yes, and I still go back and like watch them on Disney Plus.

But yeah, No, I feel like the first time we were like whoa, this is like really picking up speed was when it hit the Billboard's top one hundred and was like number like three, and then it like got to number one, but like at number three, I was.

Just like like, what that's gonna good?

We know the budget of this movie, like.

How we're just like, oh my gosh, we're like taking over the world.

Yeah, it felt like and then I'll never forget being in London doing like an autograph signing with the cast.

I think we were on the press tour for I don't remember if it was like which movie it was.

We were on a press tour and we were in London, and it might have been the first one.

I remember.

We just signing like a Virgin record store and we got into the car, me, Ashley and Zach and we were leaving and there were so many people.

They started like swarming the car and like shaking the car and like we were like moving back and forth, and I was like, oh my god, this is so crazy, and they were like banging on the window and then Ashley got this brilliant idea to roll the window down, and it was like a zombie apocalypse, just like screaming.

Hands in the Oh my gosh, I.

Was but like I remember, I'll never forget that moment because it was it felt like we were like the Beatles.

It was just like pandemonium.

Yeah.

Yeah, I saw the video of I don't know, I think I saw you guys in Japan, and it was like it looked like one of those like videos of Michael Jackson showing up somewhere.

It was just the streets are flooded.

It was crazy.

It was insane.

It was it was like such a wild dang to experience.

Like just how it really took flight and like everyone everyone wanted to be part of the party.

Like it was crazy.

I feel like not very many people experience that type of pandemonium, honestly, Like it was incredible.

The feedback obviously, but kind of gave mesd like I struggle in like big crowds and like like schools, schools terrifying me.

That now, like I think big groups of children, I'm like right away.

Because I've literally been chased like and I'm not like a security type of person, Like I just I want to live my life as a normal person and like just go about my day and like.

Move freely as I please.

Yeah, so I really had to learn how to like manage with like being in large crowds because I have like, uh anxiety.

Now wo wow, I guess that was.

And then you had your of course you you became like a big hit singer too at the same time.

So I'm sure I compounded right with like.

Two It was just like the combination of like being a part of such a successful thing and then also like having a boyfriend who was a part of that same successful thing.

It wasn't just like me on my own.

I was like a teenager and like always with my boyfriend, like it was the two of us.

It wasn't just my success I was dealing with.

It was his as well, right right.

It's like I have I have family that are uh like that, like that have that dynamic, and it's like there's it's it's like it multiplies because there's two of you.

But then there it's.

Also a tabloid fodder, like those photos sell a lot of money, like we so then they will even be more aggressive.

It was in that day and age of tabloids like thriving, Like it's I feel like it's different now for sure.

The pace and tone of it all has shifted significantly, I think for the better, because back in the.

Day it was just like what trash can we get?

And like, believe me, like there's still companies out there that literally profit from other people feeling and making mistakes right, devastating, But I think that it used to be like more widespread.

Yeah yeah, I kind of have this theory that like social media kind of helped with that because they like, if you're pregnant, they.

Will more accessible.

They will you know, they won't do anything to get that shot, and you're like, well, I'm just going to post a picture and the world has it now.

So sorry, guys, you know, sorry.

I'm taking the momentum off of your steam.

Exactly exactly.

I mean, it comes to the cost of you having to expose yourself, but at least you get to do it on your terms the way you want to do it.

Yeah, exactly.

I mean, yeah, I'm so private too, so I'm just like a locked to vault most of the time.

Yeah yeah, Okay, So you knew the movie was a big hit, winn a sort of climate.

Was there any moment during the filming when there was like during number one because you knew you already knew it was Kenny Ortegy.

You probably already knew Newsy's and Hocus Pocason, like you knew the pedigree of the guy you and your Halloween.

I know.

That is serious business.

I mean, I feel like I'll never forget in rehearsals.

I feel like there's probably a video of it somewhere I don't know of the first film where like Kenny, we were in rehearsals like dancing, and Kenny was like, if you go to Japan, every there's so many.

People there and they're all like hustling and bustling.

So the crossrocks are like the busiest crosswalks you'll ever see, and yet no matter how fast people are moving, people don't bump into each other.

There's like this kind of flow that's happening throughout the entire.

City in the midst of this hustle and bustle.

And He's like, that's what we have to find, so we would like do these kind of like grooves around the room with each other, where everybody would just like move and like kind of like move through each other and like bounce off of each other's.

Energy but not collide.

And I was just like, that's such an interesting thing to like instill in your actors.

I was like, I don't know, like I'll never forget that.

That was just like such a classic, unique Kenny moment and the way that he related to us was just like so easy to understand.

Yeah, so that was great.

I love how Kitty did those moments, like he would kind of like stop everything and.

Yeah, everybody circle up, let's talk about like your favorite songs.

Why why is your fail?

You know, like it's interesting, like the way he put order into that chaos, I guess.

Truly, truly, it never felt overwhelming with him, like it always felt like it was all good, like we all we all had it together, we all had it down.

He instilled such belief in ourselves and confidence and in the crew as well, like nothing ever felt rushed, like it was just such an easy, safe workspace.

Yeah.

I remember shooting We're all missed together and being like, whoa, this is magical.

I think, just like the auditorium and like all of the.

Extras, it felt like such a big deal.

Like the song obviously like it's catchy no matter what, so singing that doing the dance moves, like I don't know, there was definitely like a heightened energy in that auditorium where I think everyone felt like they were a part of it makes me emotional talking about it, really, yeah, because it was just so sweet, Like it's such a special, special thing that I think a doesn't happen very often, but if it does, like the chances of it happening during a musical, I think is like more prominent just because you're telling story through song and dance as well, so you're like fully using up every part of you and and it just like I don't know, I think there's something like so spiritual about music, and like I feel like the spirit in that room was just success.

It was really beautiful.

That was hanging back, Oh my god.

And then I hit Ashley so hard in the nose.

She would never let me live it down.

Hilarious, you know.

I think I did, like we're all in this, reached him and I like came back and like I was really feeling it.

So I was like hitting those moves really hard.

And I think that she like had like bent down or something a little too far and I cocked her.

I cocked her.

Well, everybody was getting it and.

That song, you know, yeah, I felt that she felt her together.

She probably didn't feel it.

She didn't.

And I looked over and she's like crying.

I was like, I'm so sorry, really crying.

Oh what is time to be alive?

Oh?

Man?

That that was.

That was pretty special.

Everybody was in we're all this together.

Of course, like end of the Big and the Big Game, right, that's the yeah, the championship game.

Yeah, that was like, yeah, that's like when everything kind of came together.

And Kenny's choreography is like so fun and so so good.

Uh.

But the way he gets the extras like involved in moving like that's that's amazing.

You know that he could get whatever, five hundred people doing the same thing, and really it's not there was no chaos there either, right, It just kind of built like we were connected to everyone in that frame.

You were allgether, We're on it together.

Yeah.

Simple.

I think there's a couple of times like that where I was like, oh, this is a lot bigger of a movie than I've never in a million years ever thought it was going to do what it did.

Yeah, you can't write anybody that claims they did.

I'm like, you know, the dizzy executives are.

Like, I do.

I come, yeah, okay, keep telling yourself that you're.

Keeping a secret for everybody that I see.

Yeah, but there were little signs of like it being special for sure, like this is okay.

I mean I was a big fan of Newsies and Hocus Popkins, of course, but so you know, you know, Kenny's a special guy, and he was definitely making it feel special on the set, even though even though there was a little chaos off the set.

By the way, there's some there's some pranks going on.

Oh yeah, base.

Camp pranks, base camp pranks.

Yeah.

I remember when the trail.

I feel like when the trailers were above the school and the parking lot across the street up the hill is when most of shenanigans were going on, you know, you know, because we were parked down below.

Number one out there, that was one that like, uh water balloon fire happened.

Yeah, yeah, I tell us that story.

Is there a story there?

What was it?

I feel like I knew it was going to happen yeah, forget.

Who Yeah, who is the mastermind?

I don't even remember.

Maybe Chris, Oh, I don't know.

It seemed like like there's there's retaliation, and there's totally pafferent people's rooms, and well.

I feel like Jared Jared Morella, huh.

I feel like he definitely had some some say in all of that.

Yeah.

Yeah, but I forget.

I don't know.

I remember though, like I knew, no, it's going to be a silent attack.

And he was going into his trailer and so I was like prompted to like lure him in, you're the bait.

So I did, and they were in there like waiting with I think, like what is like the water guns.

Like yeah yeah, yeah yeah, it was serious water guns.

So serious water guns like the little like pumpet.

Yeah yeah, those types of things.

Yeah, and just doused him yeah.

Yeah.

You know.

It's like it was like there weren't a lot of there were no were there are no there were no cameras on our phones.

Then we'd have like the most amazing video of all this stuff.

I mean we had like me and Ashley had our sidekicks, yours.

Yes, but I mean I feel like I don't have any videos or photos even from that phone.

Yeah, I don't even know how, like even if.

I have it, Yeah, that would be crazy.

I used to I brought my laptop on days when I knew i'd be sitting around a lot, and I remember using my laptop to record videos and I'd like interview people or kind of like whatever.

I don't know where that computer is, but I've got that somewhere.

That would be fun to see that.

It would be so amazing to final like the old footage of all of that, because.

What is that?

What do you have a favorite movie?

And when people asking people ask you that, right, Like I get people that are.

Like, you got to settle, settle this coach.

We've got a big fight.

Our roommates are all fight.

You know, which one's the best movie?

I'm like, well, first of all, that's so personal, but like, well, what's your favorite?

I'm like, well, there's a favorite like the film, but then there's a favorite to go back and watch maybe, But for me, it's like I can't differentiate.

It's like it's really it's like which one did I enjoy filming more?

But do you do you have a favorite?

Do people ask you this?

Yeah?

They do.

I mean, like, yeah, I don't know that it's so hard like the first one, for the magic of the fact that, like it was the first one, there was no preconceived ideas of what it should do or should be.

It was just like we were all showing up doing our best and there was something so pure about that.

Yeah.

Yeah, and also just.

Like establishing those relationships and just like getting to know everybody, Like that's just all so special.

But then I'm like the third one obviously like was made for theaters, so it was bigger and more produced, and we had a bigger budget, and like it felt more grown up and more like serious, not in like a bad way, but in like a and like we're making a real movie, yeah type of way.

Yeah.

I just remember being like so proud of that movie.

Yeah, but maybe the.

First I'm maybe gonna say the first because it just like there was no standard that it was holding itself up to.

It was trying to like find its own legs, and we were all just putting our best foot forward.

Yeah yeah, thinking this is one and done.

Yeah yeah.

Yeah, that's my favorite for a lot of the same reasons.

It just the dynamic of it and just getting to know everybody.

It's everybody is so excited to be working on this, but working on a big musical that's pretty great.

But a lot of.

People like number two.

A lot of people they like they like the summertime.

I have a theory it's because kids don't want to be in school, and there's something about going away from school and if you're in if you're in high school and you get to go like stay in a country club and like away from your parents like this.

That was the experience for me in real life, so I get it.

I feel like it was the first time that I had been on set and my parents weren't there.

They like came out, helped get me settled.

I think they came and visited once, but like it was my first time like being on my own.

Wow.

And yeah, I know, obviously really cool set up at that h that resort there with the little inn you little casidas and I guess I'll had your own little homes and so nice.

It was so much fun.

It feels like such a blur.

I feel like that was kind of like a need the Butcher's time.

Have you been back there?

Have you been back?

Oh?

See, you were you know, you were in Utah.

Yeah, people saw you in Utah and I got messages about it, like people like, are you guys doing highcho musical for It's always faness in Utah.

I'm like, look, I have probably up there shoot a movie.

I have no idea.

Yeah.

No, Cole actually ended up playing for the Salt Egg Bees.

I was out there like, oh, that's why you were there.

Yeah.

I never knew.

I never knew by the way we saw each other.

But two years ago in Paris, Yeah, that was so much fun.

We did a thing out there for Kenny to kind of celebrate Kenny's world with Descendants Julian the Fantoms and high school musical, and like say, I had all the fans.

And that was that was so fun.

And I got to meet Cole for the first time.

Yeah, I love the guy.

I love Cole man.

I Hey, what's up cool?

Let's sake.

Yeah, we were messaging, but I love Cole and uh, I was so happy for you because I've you know, I've been in I've been I've been doing this for thirty years now, and I've seen bad couple after bad cough, the tragedy, you know, and like to to see you end up with such a good dude.

I was like, oh, thanks, my heart's so happy.

Yeah.

I got very lucky with him.

I paid my dues and I feel I never dated after and learned from it and ended up meeting the most incredible man who is now also the most incredible father.

Amazing?

Is he good dad?

Oh?

My god?

The best?

Oh that's awesome, my man.

I love that.

But don't you feel like you're kind of like going through those bad relationships?

Like it really helps you appreciate someone like Cole.

It makes you It makes you understand your values.

Like you think you know what you want, but you really don't until it's tested and you.

Know what you don't want, right.

Don't want and you can start crossing all that off of the list and have like non negotiables and can get past like superficial things and sounds like fundamentals.

That's when you started finding your match.

Oh that's interesting.

Yeah.

I worry about young people that think because I was one of them, and I know the qualities you look for are not the qualities that matter the Pelly.

Yeah, but she's.

Hot, Like that's not learn and I like, learn for yourself because it doesn't matter how many times someone can tell you, like, tell someone the same thing till you're blue in the face, like they won't listen unless, like they experience it and go through it.

Yeah.

Yeah, By the way, you guys saw you guys had a great time in Paris.

I think, oh, yeah, I ended up getting engaged after that.

Yes, yes, I had no idea that was happening.

Yeah, Oh that.

Was so cool.

That was so cool.

So when I was spending time with cool in Paris, it hadn't happened yet, right.

No, No, he did it like the day after, days after I forget something like that.

That's so cool.

Well, what an amazing place to do that in dreaming, it's the cool, cool cool, so cool man on this look at this guy Paris.

I was like, Wow, Never did I have it for myself that I would end up with like an actual an actually sporty.

Guy, like an actual one that plays on my professional sports.

Never had it for myself.

Here we are.

That's so cool.

Oh, that's so cool.

I'm just so happy about that.

That just makes me so happy.

Congratulations byways, so cool?

Uh married in Taloom too, that's cool.

Tlom's rad.

Yeah, I was dope.

I was like, I just want to find like a cool, spiritual place that is going to be warm and magical.

Yeah, and I landed there.

Yeah.

TLOM is interesting because it's like, uh, it really is.

It has the appearance and the aesthetics of something so amazing, and then you go there and you're like, oh, because it is like that's really special place.

Yeah.

Yeah, totally totally just like.

Artisans and like spiritual and like mindful and it's just beautiful.

Yeah.

Yeah.

People are drawn those like minded people are drawn drawn there.

Okay, So I had like a whole list of questions for Venessa.

We're not going to get to any of those.

But I love talking to you, but I just wanted to kind of get us up to speed here.

So, like after you did high School Musical, like you like after the third well before the third one, I'm sure the agents are manager.

Everybody's after public, so everybody wants to.

Be a part of team Hude at this point, and then things music and actively everything just took off immediately for you.

Yeah, I mean yeah, like the music came into play.

I feel like after the first one, I ended up signing a deal with Hollywood Records, and like was doing that whole deal.

Ended up going on tour with like the Cheetah Girls.

Cool yep, yep, time and place.

That's that's like it's not saying like embrace that because like that's your that's your youth.

Like that's amazing.

It is pretty iconic.

Yeah, and then we obviously did like the High.

School Musical Tour, which was insane.

Took us all over I mean like South America.

Did you go Asia to.

No, we did just the States, and then like a Latin America tour.

But you guys went like deep South America.

Yeah yeah, yeah, Like we were in Brazil and like it was, it was insane.

It was that Brazil was like the craziest show out of all of the Latin American shows because there was we were playing stadiums like just so many people, and like English was the second language and yet everyone was singing like at deafening tones, like.

Sing along in English.

Yeah.

Wow, it's just.

Like and these are like soccer stadiums, these are massive, massive stadiums.

Cute, tell me what's that like?

I mean just like bewildering.

Honestly, I remember like setting foot on stage and looking out and just being like in awe of the amount of people and like I had to like put on a face and be the performer and like entertain but like really the Vanessa inside behind.

The performer was just like this same.

I just completely astonished by the amount of support that we received.

It's just jaw dropping, like to see that many people together and like just extraordinarily passionate about the thing that like you were a part.

Of and created.

Wow.

Wow, it's an interesting thing to have, Like fans that intense all around the world.

Right, have you been places in the world where you were surprised, like, oh my gosh, reached here too.

I'm just like at the point now where I'm just like it's it made me a global name.

Yeah, where like it doesn't matter where I am, people will be like are you yeah, we all.

If nothing else?

Yeah yeah yeah.

I love that when you're like in a different country too, and they have that because it's like they never think you would be there in their hometown.

You know, Like it honestly doesn't matter what country it is.

No, it's the same reaction like everywhere, it doesn't matter where.

That's crazy.

It's crazy, Like I wonder like how often a movie like reaches that deep, you know, that global.

I feel like it's very rare, very very rare.

Truly.

Yeah, I feel like musicals have a way of doing it though, like had a different capacity.

I look at like Greece and like how that just I mean, will forever be a cultural iconic staple?

Yeah for cinema.

Yeah, yeah, I don't know.

It's just slightning in a bottle.

Yeah, yeah, it really is.

I always am surprised that there was, Like, it doesn't I don't think there's any like unusual marketing for the movie.

It was just like the same market they do for any movie.

And we had our premieer.

Do you remember the premiere.

We had a little premiere on the Disney lot and that little tiny theater.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, little little this sweet and sweet and simple.

Yeah, you share a movie?

Yeah, where can we get a movie for free?

Oh let's do it at Disney and.

Easy.

No press, there's no press, No, there's no step in, there's no nothing, there's nothing.

There was this it was raining.

I have a picture from the premiere and I'm like, my shirt's wet because I rode my motorcycle in the rain.

So there's nobody ye.

I was like young and reckless.

Yes, yes, and that boy did it change the next premiere?

Where the next premiere was it?

Uh?

El Capitan was that?

Or there was it?

Disneyland?

I think the next one was Disneyland, wasn't it?

I think so?

Yeah?

Yeah, because the El Capitan was That was the third one that was a big premiere.

M yeah, but eaving the disney Freak that I am was like a heaven that we were no at Disneyland.

Disneyland okay, oh, okay, cap.

Can we just do it all?

That was really cool.

That was really cool to have it.

I don't remember where we watched it that had a theater.

Can I tell you?

I don't remember.

I don't remember.

I remember Disneyland.

That was that was d.

Yeah, I remember the carpet.

I remember I was wearing a red dress.

Yes.

Yes, it seems like you've remained friends with I mean you guys, you have been friends forever.

Yeah.

We knew each other before we even shot the film.

Yeah.

Actually it's the only one I knew before we shot the film, Like when she was little.

I don't think I knew that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I knew.

It, and I forgot it.

I don't know.

Yeah, yeah, we probably talked about twenty years ago.

Yeah, well, you know I.

Was thinking about like when I was going to talk to you today, and I was thinking, you know, whenever I do bump into the cast, like the last thing we talked about is the movies we made, because we're trying to catch up on life, like what are you doing?

Like how's that?

Like what are you doing now?

And there's not enough time, Like it's not like we sit around talk about the movies we did twenty years ago, like you know, so so as much as like I will, I need it down.

I need a person to person download of your life.

But like you know, this is an opportunity for us to like try to focus on that time.

So thank you.

I just want to say thank you, thank you again for like doing this.

We could give this to our our fans have been so good us.

Yeah, genuinely, I was like, you're doing it whatever, Yeah, sure, anybody else I don't know.

But yeah, I love it.

We got we gotta pay pay it forward.

I love that.

It's so sweet of you.

That's the You're the best.

And this is how she has been since the beginning.

She's my favorite that's awesome.

Before we go, I know we're taking out of time here really fast.

But what do you do?

What are you doing?

Like?

What do you what do you doing?

Well?

Momming has definitely proved to be the hardish job I've ever had of my life.

So that definitely is filling the slot of number one priority.

But I want the best job in the world right.

And the other way.

Yeah, truly best job job for sure.

Never been more tired.

It's crazy, and I just like I am also the type of person that just needs to do everything myself because I'm crazy.

I got so I do everything.

That's you know what if you can give that to your kid, What a gift?

What a gift.

It's like that's how I was raised too, Like I never had Like I mean, I went to daycare every now and then, but like it was just me and my mom my dad until my sister came around.

And like I don't even remember.

I mean I remember one babysitter.

I would see occasionally, but that was it.

So yeah, I am just all hands on.

Dick, amazing, that's amazing.

Now getting ready for another one.

So I feel like I am going to eventually need help and I'm gonna need to force myself to take it because they just don't have enough hands.

I'm just like an extra set, no, no everything.

Yeah, yeah, I've got three, So I know exactly what you what you're saying.

It is a my wife is a well you know, Robin is the actress.

So it's like we've taken turns.

But I've been mister mom a lot.

Like I'm at home, she's gone for five weeks.

I'm like, just me, let's go rock and roll.

Yeah, yeah, you switch it off, you take turns.

I did just film a movie that I'm really excited about.

It's a process because I'm extraordinarily involved.

I'm also produced it with a slash writer and it's like a thriller and it's I would say, the best work that I've ever done.

So I just I'm very excited.

We're trying to figure out how we can.

Get it out in front of all of you.

You're viewing pleasures because it's just it's really it's really really special.

Really special.

Drop drop the name.

It's called Quiet Storm.

Quite Quiet Storm.

Ye, and have you seen it as it assembled?

Yeah, it's astmbled.

Down.

It's kind of long, but you know, like it's a it's a it's a journey and a ride that I would say is definitely worth like sitting down and going on.

But that bang said, we're still in the midst of like finances and.

Post production and all of that.

But I'm just like so excited about it because it's the most involved I've ever been.

Have you produced before?

I have, but like not at this capacity.

Yeah, so you see the title producer really like that doesn't really to have.

Such a spectrum.

Yeah, this is like produced by I've done like executive producers, that's that stuff.

But yeah, never like this is actually like.

You got in the trenches, you got your hands dirty on this one.

Very very Yeah that's cool.

I love filmmaking.

It's like the great, it's the best.

So that's I'm excited about this.

Yeah, I'm so excited.

It's so funny though, because I was like so pregnant doing it as well.

So I was like, you know, my character, she's just thick, a girl in the middle of nowhere, and you know she's she's she's just thick.

It's all hars to it and it works great, it's perfect.

But that has to be hard, right, I mean are you are you do you handle that okay?

Like physically you feel all right?

Yeah, Like I was fine.

I mean like I was crazy.

I was definitely crazy in the part of my pregnancy because hormones are wild, yeah, and the mood swings are very real.

But I always say, like, as an actual you have like your toolbox, you know, and like when you're doing a scene, you're like, oh, okay, I need these tools in order to like achieve that.

So you go in there and you like look around and you like find it, and sometimes things are more accessible, sometimes they're a little more hidden.

You gotta like move things around and like reach and struggle yank it out.

Being pregnant and working, it was like all my tools were on display and I could literally just.

Like peek open, just reaching, pick out whatever I needed, drop it the hat, like just be on one end of the spectrum to the next in a matter of milliseconds, which made me feel kind of crazy.

But.

Really, uh, really in touch, And yeah, that's the most more like when you're an actor and like you just have everything right there under the surface, like ready to go, because then everything's just accessible and you don't have to dig and search it's just it's there for you to use whatever you need, whenever you need and like it just I think really amplified my performance in a way that I've never been.

Able to achieve before.

Wow.

I also haven't been given the opportunity to do a part like this, So yeah, that's it's own thing.

I love that about filmmaking.

It's like you gotta eat the jobs that come to you are going to be different than jobs you make for yourself, Like it's always going to be the best if you are the one making that opportunity.

Yeah.

No, I got really lucky with this one and it actually found me maybe.

But it's so funny though, because the director hadn't seen like he's never seen High School Musical.

He's never seen like any of like the commercial stuff that I've done.

He's only seen the indie films that I've made, which were Frozen Ground, spring Breakers and person Has spreen Breakers and give Me Shelter.

And he was like, yeah, you were fantastic, Like of course I would think for this part.

And it was just like that, so funny, You've just never seen that side of.

Me, But it's great.

I was like, honestly, like, I love that so much.

That's that's who I thought I was going to be as an actor when I was a child to begin with, Like, I never thought I was going to be like the girl next door, like that character.

I thought I was the indie girl that was just going to like sink her teeth into all those like super meaty parts and just be like drama, just really put herself through the ringer for the love of the craft.

And I mean.

Those parts are so far and few in between, but when they come around, man, that version of me thrives.

Yeah.

Yeah, I've seen it.

I've seen it, and you are really so great at that, and it is It is an entertaining It's one of the things I like about acting is like you could be you could be Gabriella and the sweet innocent girl and so so charming Fanessa, like I just like, you're so sweet.

But then you turn on these indie films like those ones you mentioned there, and it's like, oh, we got like it got some grit.

Man.

Man, it's good.

It's cool, it's hot.

Yeah, it's fun.

It's fun to explore other people's stories and bring things to the light that like maybe you wouldn't be able to have like an intimate gland set because that's just not the world or people you associate with.

And I feel like that's the way that we build empathy and make ourselves better.

Love that love that.

I did my first horror film during COVID, and I never was really like hoary, yeah, okay, sure, and then I just fell in love with it because then I realized, like, oh, someone's always about to die, like you're you're gonna someone's gonna die here really soon.

So it's like the stakes are always like really high, so high.

It's like an actor's dream, you know.

Yeah yeah, I.

Mean if you if you enjoy like really like diving in and doing the work, because some people like don't.

Some people just.

Want the success or the fame and like are totally content like doing surface stuff or just being funny or I mean, like granted, comedy is hard, so I'm not putting that down in any way, but like to really dig and to find like those depths of yourself, like I feel like that's where the true actors really really thrive.

Yeah yeah, I think so too.

Well.

I'm looking forward to seeing you in lots more stuff.

I know.

We're like we could talk all day, but I'm gonna I gotta let you go and go live your life with your family.

But it's been so fun talking to you.

You are so.

Nice talking to you too, so nice to see your face look great.

Thanks, thanks, you look amazic.

Well, thanks for all the great insights and everything else.

And happy twenty year anniversary to.

You you too.

Man, here we are.

It is still plugging.

Yeah, it's crazy.

It's crazy.

It's just so wild.

It doesn't seem right, It really doesn't seem right.

But then I think about it, I'm like, oh my god, it literally feels like lifetimes ago.

Yeah.

Yeah, so I guess it does.

But just to have something that people have loved for so long, it's just like, that's that's a dream.

Yeah.

An honor.

It is an honor.

It is an honor, and I think it's, uh, that's something you have to have gratitude for.

You know, I feel it.

I feel it deeply.

My eyes are telling me that I really feel it, meaning they're tangling and I'm not gonna cry, so it's fine.

But yeah, she's an emotional ron.

Yeah.

Yeah, well hey, you know, for good reason, it's been it's it's been a sweet ride, and so many friends and so many people are so good to us, so many opportunities opened up because of it all and brought us to where we are.

I'll bending.

I got to.

So special.

It really does mean so much.

It's really nice to be able to stop them, like take a moment and just be like, wow, it's just it's so sweet, Like my heart is so full and I'm truly so grateful.

Because I'm like it's so easy to be like, oh my gosh, just like it won't die or it's just like I'm still the same character and I'm like, which I've gone through for sure, But like after twenty years, I feel like you get past all of that and can cut straight to like the gratitude of knowing that like what you did all those years ago have stuck with people and changed their lives.

They're better and like that's just that's beautiful.

That's that's the art.

That's what we do it for.

Man.

Yeah, yeah it is.

It's pretty sweet.

And people tell you that kind of feedback, like oh, you help me so much.

You know, like.

You were the one person I look up to because you were like the only colored girl that I saw, like you look like me, Like.

That's huge, and I was like, I mean yeah, because there wasn't very many like mixed girls, Filipino girls on camera, and like to be able to be that for now women all over is just very humbling.

I'm sure you've touched millions of young lives, you know, when they need it the most, like more, you touch more people because of the age you were, because you were so young and they saw you doing that, like it's different.

Yeah, it really does curious.

Yeah peers, yeah, yeah, you could look at adults doing it and it's yeah, don't tell me what to do exactly exactly, but you Yeah, that's it's so special that you you did that.

And I mean there's going to be a just gonna be millions of people you'll you'll never hear from, but you just have to know that they're out there and I appreciate you.

Yeah, I appreciate them.

Yeah, that's that's not gonna happen on any other projects for this, I know.

Yeah, yeah, I know.

It's crazy.

And that's when you go, oh wow, yeah, like that is truly, like I said, lightning in a bottle.

Yeah, yeah, Well, thank you for your time, thank you for your sweet heart.

Giving me the space to reminisce and cry about it.

That's good.

I figured out every time that the year ends of the zero we got a visit.

So I'm come knock on your door for this again in ten years.

Well, she knock on the door, like, but I will.

We'll figure it out.

He yeah, heck yeah, all right.

Well, thank you Vanessa Hudges, Gabrielle Montez, the most amazing actress from our movie.

They just charmed everyone to death.

Thank you for your time, and thanks everybody out there for being part of the East High family.

Yeah, thanks for joining the ride and having our backs.

Yeah, until next time.

Thanks, We'll see you soon.

Okay, we'll get Bye.