45 interesting facts about Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens is a talented singer and actress who rose to fame on the set of the High School Musical. Here are 45 interesting facts about this young star.

1. Vanessa Anne Hudgens is her full name and she was born in Salinas, California on December 14, 1988.

2. Her mother is Filipino, Chinese and Latina and her father is a mix of Irish and American Indian.

3. She has a younger sister, Stella Hudgens, who is also an actress.

4. She started her career in show business at the young age of 8 as a singer.

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

6. Her first kiss was in fifth grade. "It was with my first boyfriend when I was 10 years old, but it was just a peck," she told PEOPLE in 2008.

7. Vanessa had supporting roles in musical productions including "Evita," "Carousel," "The Wizard of Oz," "The King & I," "The Music Man," "Cinderella" and "Damn Yankees."

8. Vanessa made her feature film debut in Catherine Hardwicke's Thirteen (2003), starring Holly Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood.

9. Vanessa Hudgens was homeschooled since 8th Grade and is now a high school graduate.

10. She once attended the Orange County High School of the Arts.

11. She co-starred in the action-adventure film Thunderbirds.

12. Hudgens was featured in an episode of the Nickelodeon show Drake & Josh. After the taping, Hudgens, then16, reportedly took a nude photo of herself and sent to show star Drake Bell. The photo resurfaced on the internet two years later and caused a controversy for the young actress.

13. Her major breakthrough role was as Gabriella in the hit Disney Channel TV movie High School Musical.

14. She sang "Angels" by Robbie Williams at her "High School Musical" audition.

15. High School Musical debuts and becomes the highest rated program in Disney Channel history with 7.7 million viewers in its first U.S. broadcast.

16. Before she landed the role in the High School Musical, she said she considered auditioning for American Idol.

17. The High School Musical soundtrack generates five Top 40 singles, sells some 4 million copies, and becomes the first TV show soundtrack to land at No. 1 in SoundScan's history. Efron and Hudgens' "Breaking Free" shoots from No. 86 to No. 4, becoming Billboard's biggest chart climber to date.

18. While on set, she begins a romance with fellow co-star Zac Efron and they date from 2006 until 2010.

19. Vanessa admitted to feeling jealous on several occasion over all the girl groupies that would lavish attention on her boyfriend.

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

21. Her debut solo album was titled "V". She is the first one from the High School Musical fame to do so.

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

23. In 2007, Zac starred in her music video for "Say OK."

24. That same year, she went on a tour with fellow Disney sensations the Cheetah Girls.

25. Vanessa Hudgens says she can't whistle.

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

27. Supposed to star in 'Prom Night' (2008) but turned it down, only to give the role to Brittany Snow.

28. She has said in interviews that she doesn't like eating carrots because they make her "gag".

29. Her favorite fast food joint is In-and-Out burger.

30. Hudgens released her more grown-up sophomore album in 2008, Identified, which she tells EW is "definitely sophisticated. But it's also funky and fun - something that I would, like, actually listen to."

31. In August 2009, another set of pictures showing Hudgens topless emerged on the Internet. Hudgens's representatives did not comment, though her lawyers requested the removal of the pictures from the Internet

32. She trained with the Navy Seals for five months. It was the most intense thing that anyone could ever do," she said in an interview in 2010.

33. She is a confessed shopaholic. Her favorite thing to buy are shoes and she says she has three closets devoted entirely to her show collection.

34. Vanessa is a huge fan of horror movies.

35. She is a big fan of Natalie Wood.

36. Her two favorite singers are Alicia Keys and Céline Dion.

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

38. She is face for brand Ecko Boys & Girls in Brazil.

39. Hudgens learned to play the guitar while filming Bandslam (2009).

40. In November 2011, Hudgens starred in Spring Breakers with Selena Gomez and James Franco. The film followed four college-aged girls who decide to rob a fast food restaurant in order to pay for their spring break.

41. In 2011, she appeared on the big screen in the Sucker Punch film.

42. Her most favorite TV show is "Degrassi: The Next Generation."

43. Some of her nicknames include Nessa, V, and Van.

44. Vanessa's net worth is $10 million.

45. She admitted in an interview to Tyra Banks that she has a major crush on Matt Damon. "I was 14 years old and I met him. I completely freaked out. Like, I did to him what my fans do to me. I was like, 'Ohmigosh, I love you so much, can I have your autograph?'"