It’s been more than 14 years since High School Musical premiered on Disney Channel, and Vanessa Hudgens still constantly hears references to the movie in her day-to-day life! But don’t worry, people, because the actress just admitted that it definitely doesn’t bother her.
“I hear a High School Musical reference multiple times a week,” she told ABS-CBN. “However, it is something I find joy in. It allows me to reminisce a bit and connect to my younger self. That project opened up so many doors for me and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Get this — there’s even a reference to the iconic Disney franchise — which also starred Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and more — in Vanessa’s latest movie, Bad Boys For Life. During one scene of the flick, Will Smith‘s character refers to Vanessa and her group of friends as a “high school musical boy band with guns.”
This isn’t the first time that the 31-year-old has embraced her past! Back in November, she couldn’t stop gushing over the new High School Musical spinoff series.
“I think their spin on it is so smart. I love what they’re doing,” she exclusively told J-14.
The new show, which premiered on Disney+ on November 12, 2019, stars Sofia Wylie, Joshua Bassett, Olivia Rodrigo, Kate Reinders, Matt Cornett, Dara Reneé, Julia Lester, Frankie A. Rodriguez, Larry Saperstein, Mark St. Cyr and more! It takes place 15 years after the original movies, and follows a whole new group of East High students as they prepare for their school’s production of HSM.
But when J-14 asked the Disney alum if she’d ever reprise her role as Gabriella Montez for a reboot, she explained, “That was a moment in time that was really special. I’ll always be grateful for it, but let’s let it be that moment in time.”
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