Trivia

Her father Greg Hudgens passed away on January 30, 2016, after losing his battle with cancer. The day after his death, Vanessa was set to star as Rizzo in the live musical production of Grease Live! (2016) Despite her father's death, she vowed to perform in the production as a tribute to him, and received widespread acclaim from critics for both her performance and her professionalism. The show was dedicated to the memory of her father.

Trained in piano, dance, and voice (opera to be specific).

Is the only cast member of High School Musical (2006) to have a solo song on the television soundtrack.

Both sets of her grandparents were musicians during the Big Band era.

Was in a relationship with Zac Efron [2006-2010].

Her father had English, as well as German, Irish, and Scottish, ancestry. Her mother is from the Philippines, and is of Filipino, as well as Chinese and Spanish, descent. Vanessa's father was also said to have had Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this is accurate.

Her first job was acting in a local production of "The Wizard of Oz", in which she played a Munchkin and was paid $50.

Is a huge fan of the late Natalie Wood.

She sang "Angels" by Robbie Williams at her High School Musical (2006) audition.

Was in a relationship with Austin Butler [2011-2019].

Her favorite scene in High School Musical (2006) is the final one, in which the cast sang and danced to "We're All in This Together".

She has been home-schooled since the seventh grade.

Her two favorite singers are Alicia Keys and Céline Dion.

Her musical theater roles include leads in "Evita", "Carousel", "The Wizard of Oz", "The King and I", "The Music Man", "Cinderella", "Damn Yankees", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "The Little Mermaid", among others.

Learned to play the guitar while filming Bandslam (2009).

Good friends with Bandslam (2009) co-stars Aly Michalka, Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson.

In 2007, she became the celebrity spokesperson for Neutrogena products.

She appeared alongside Brady Corbet in both her first two films, Thirteen (2003) and Thunderbirds (2004).

Was named "The Heartbreaker" in Disney Channel's first DC games (2006).

She resided with her parents along the West Coast, from Oregon to Southern California.

At one point, she planned to audition for American Idol: The Search for a Superstar (2002).

Her first single "Come Back to Me" samples from the song "Baby Come Back", by the 1970s rock band Player.

Her debut album has officially sold 500,000 copies. Therefore, it was certified gold for the first time in 2007.

Her favorite television series is Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001).

Sings with Corbin Bleu on the song "Still There for Me", on his debut solo album "Another Side" (2007).

Her favorite song to perform in concert is "Let's Dance" because she and her backup dancers have so much fun dancing to that song.

She and her then-boyfriend, Austin Butler, were fined US$1,000 for vandalizing Bell Rock in the Sedona area of Arizona, after carving their initials into the rock. (April 2016)

Has a tattoo of a butterfly on her neck.

She was offered a role in the horror remake Prom Night (2008), which was offered to Fernanda Romero as well. However, she turned down the role to work on her music.

She has a toy poodle named Shadow, three turtles, and some fish.

She got her first gig when her friend could not go to an audition for a commercial and asked if Vanessa could go.

Is allergic to both chlorine and black pepper.

Her favorite dance number from High School Musical 2 (2007) is "Work This Out".

Ranked #20 on Forbes magazine's list of "High Earners Under 30" on December 12, 2008.

Best known for portraying the role of Gabriella Montez in High School Musical (2006) and its related sequels.

Enjoys singing just as much as dancing and acting. Her favorite kind of music is rock music.

The first star from High School Musical (2006) to release a solo album in the wake of the romantic musical comedy's success. The name of her debut solo album is called "V" which stands for Vanessa, but also could stand for variety since it is a mix of pop, pop rock, dance electronic, and ballads. The album was released in the United States on September 26, 2006.

On February 2, 2023, Hudgens announced her engagement to Baseball star Cole Tucker. After nearly 3 years of dating.

The second single on her debut solo album "V" is called "Say OK". This was released on January 12, 2007, on United States radio stations. There are two versions of the music video for the song. The first one was from the High School Musical: The Concert Tour. The second version was filmed at a beach in Los Angeles, California, and a bowling alley.

Recorded her self-entitled album "V" in just under two months.

She auditioned for the role of Julie Christensen in Final Destination 3 (2006), which eventually went to Amanda Crew.

She has expressed a desire to play the DC Comics character Selina Kyle/Catwoman, naming it as a dream role of hers.

In June 2006, she signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records.

Good friends with High School Musical (2006) co-stars Ashley Tisdale, Zac Efron and Corbin Bleu, along with Alexa Nikolas, Brenda Song and Miley Cyrus.

She was considered one of the 55 faces of the future by Nylon magazine's Young Hollywood Issue.

Ranked #28 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women of 2014 list.

Desires to study business when she reaches college.

"Let Go" was supposed to be the second single from her debut album. However, this was switched to "Say OK" at the last minute.

Ranked #42 in the 2009 FHM list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".

In 2011, she was named the new Candie's Girl.