A Look Back at how Vanessa Hudgens Started in her Acting Career

How did Vanessa Hudgens get started in her acting career? This girl was born Vanessa Anne Hudgens on December 14, 1988 in Salinas, California. Her looks can be attributed to her parents’ descents. Her dad, Greg Hudgens is an American with the Native American and Irish background. Her mother, Gina, is a Filipino who grew up in Manila with traces of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish blood.

Career Path
Vanessa was inclined on the performing arts since she was a child. After she finished seventh-grade at the Orange County High School of the Arts, Vanessa opted for a home school setup.

When she was eight years old, she began joining musical plays. She was included on the main and supporting casts of plays such as "The Wizard of Oz," "The Music Man," "Damn Yankees," "Evita," "Carousel," The King and I," and "The Music Man.” Everything happened by chance for little Vanessa. Her first gig was a commercial. But it was purely accidental why she landed the part. She went on the audition just because her friend, who was supposed to go there, got sick and asked her to come instead.

In 2003, she debuted in the feature film "Thirteen." This stars Evan Rachel Wood and Holly Hunter. Vanessa also starred in "Thunderbirds," an action-adventure film. But Hudgens hit it big after playing the part of Gabriella in High School Musical, a TV movie made by the Disney Channel that was first released in 2006. That same year, she was able to release her debut album entitled “V.” In July of 2008, her second album entitled “Identified” was released.

After she started on movies, she also played bit roles for television. She guest starred for TV shows such as “The Bothers Garcia,” “Still Standing,” “Quintuplets,” “Drake and Josh” and “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

For the two equally successful “High School Musical” TV movie, Hudgens played the role of Gabriella Montez. She played the love interest of real-life boyfriend, Zac Efron. Their roles had given them the “Best Chemistry” award given by Teen Choice Awards. The first movie also had a hit soundtrack and it brought the group on a concert tour worldwide. A book series was also made out of it.

With all the success she has garnered, Hudgens became the number seven on Forbes magazine’s top earning list of stars who are under 21. She was 18 years old at the time. She has an estimated $2 million of earnings. “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” is set to be released on October 24, 2008.

This talented gal was ranked 62nd of the Most Sexiest Woman on FHM just this year. She was also at number 12 at Maxim’s 100 Hot List. And she was also part of People magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People.

Life on the Spotlight
He career was marked with controversy when provocative pictures of Hudgens proliferated the Internet on September 6, 2007. The photos were passed on through emails, mobile phones and other devices. There were rumors then that she would be pulled out from the High School Musical franchise because she was no longer fit to be called a model for the youth.

But everything was settled. And Hudgens apologized to the fans and her family. After that, all is well again for this young superstar. Just looking back on how did Vanessa Hudgens get started in her acting career will inspire young minds about this craft if they are planning on joining the bandwagon.