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Vanessa Hudgens gave a great interview to SheWired sister site, The Advocate, and she dished on everything from her big roles in 'Beastly' and 'Sucker Punch', to her appreciation of gay directors, to the gruff she gets online from the likes of Perez Hilton.
It’s becoming overly clear why fans all over the world are crazy for the talented 22-year-old High School Musical sensation.
Below are some choice experts that spoke to us from Hudgens’ chat with Brandon Voss.
Is America ready for an openly gay character on the Disney channel?
That would be groundbreaking, and it would definitely be nice. Society is a lot more open than it used to be, so I don’t think there’s a better time than now.
You played Mimi in last summer’s Hollywood Bowl production of Rent, a musical that’s close to the gay community’s heart. When your casting was announced, some major bloggers expressed concern that you might not have the chops or the grittiness to pull it off. Did you feel the pressure?
I tried to not pay any attention to anything anyone was saying. It’s all about manifestation, so if you put something negative out into the world, or if somebody else puts something negative into your head, you can start to believe it. Why put yourself through that? Rent is very close to my heart too. I loved the music, and I thought Mimi was such a fantastic character, so I just allowed myself a fair shot to create something new and have an amazing time doing so.
Working with gay directors like Neil Patrick Harris, Daniel Barnz, and Todd Graff, have you noticed any common sensibility there that you appreciate?
Oh, definitely. Working with all of them, one thing I’ve really noticed is that they have — well, not necessarily a motherly instinct, but they are such caring people. They want to make sure you feel my most comfortable, they want you to be able to give your best performance, and they’re willing to do anything to let you do that. I have a very fond spot in my heart for those guys.
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You also star in Sucker Punch, which is about a group of girls who break out of an insane asylum. Director Zack Snyder’s 300 and Watchmen both had their share of homoerotic moments. Is there any lesbian action or subtext in Sucker Punch?
Not really, but it is about five girls bonding together to escape reality, and our characters are strong, sexy, empowered women. There are also some awesome fighting sequences. My character, Blondie, is what I would call the fear in all the girls. When you do things out of fear, they aren’t always the smartest decisions, which is why her name is Blondie.
Before I let you go, I’d like to take this chance to apologize to you on behalf of gay guys everywhere. Some of us may have said some unkind things about you in the past, but it was mostly because we were jealous of you and wanted Zac on our team.
Aww. Seriously, thank you for saying that, because you’re the first person who’s ever said that to me. But, you know, it’s totally fine. Everybody’s got to have somebody that they want, right?
You definitely bore the brunt of Perez Hilton’s very public crush on his beloved “Zacquisha.” Did that ever upset you, or did you find it funny?
A little bit of both. I was like, Dude, you haven’t even met me and you’re making these snap judgments about me. But he seems to have simmered down now, which I’m very thankful for.
Read the complete in-depth interview on Advocate.com now.
