Vanessa Hudgens used to seem like a sweet kind of earthy former child star who transitioned into romcoms and TV movies. She was harmless, essentially, until she said in an interview, apropos of nothing, that she would like to work with Woody Allen. I guess she saw what’s been happening for Scarlett Johansson and wanted some of that. Vanessa has an interview with Cosmo UK and it’s hard not to interpret everything through the “Allen apologist” prism. She did make some good points about how violating it was to have her nude photos leaked, and a lot of outlets ran with that headline. She also said she has two mortgages and is spending too much money.
She’s anxious that she’s spending money
“I definitely feel more anxiety now than I ever have in my entire life. You become an adult and shit gets real. I have two mortgages and I’m spending way more money than I would like to spend – I think all of that bullshit really takes a toll on your wellbeing. Paying your taxes – all of this adult shit that you don’t have to deal with when you’re a kid, you can live young and free, then it all kind of… goes away.”Going to raves in NY and Berlin helps her soul flourish
“I think you become who you surround yourself with, so I think it’s really important to have a group of friends that reflects the type of person you want to be. I’ve never been one for LA clubs. I actually despise [them] – I love a good rave. I’m like, take me to New York or Berlin and put me underground in a warehouse with lasers and smoke machines and I’ll be living my best life. That’s something that makes me who I am and allows my soul to flourish.On the leak of her nude photos
“It was a really traumatising thing for me. It’s really f*cked up that people feel like they are entitled enough to share something that personal with the world. As an actor, you completely lose all grip of your own privacy and it’s really sad. It feels like that shouldn’t be the case, but unfortunately if enough people are interested, they’re going to do everything they can to get to know as much about you as they can, which is flattering, I guess, but then people take it too far and end up divulging things that should be personal.“I think that is because there’s a disconnect when you see your favourite actress on the screen, and you see them now on your TV in your homes, and you can watch them whenever you want. There’s almost – I don’t want to say lack of respect because that sounds negative – but it just makes you feel like you know them even though you don’t.”
Her take on MeToo is that she stands up for herself, then she dials it back a little
“I have been talked to in ways that are not appropriate. I have been in situations where I’ve been talked to in inappropriate ways, but right then, in that moment, I was the person to just say, ‘No. Why would you say that? You’re completely out of line.’ I’m the type of person in any situation, whether it’s an audition or in work, if I feel uncomfortable, I’m going to walk away or let that person know they’re making me feel uncomfortable. Then, if they don’t respect that, they can go f*ck off. If someone doesn’t like that, literally they can f*ck off. As long as you hold your ground, no one will bring you down.”“I’ve always been a big advocate of being true to yourself. Not everyone is going to like that – well, good. That makes you an individual. That makes you unique. And if we’re all the same, what’s the point? It’s important to look out for each other, especially in this industry, and realise it’s tough. It’s hard enough, nobody needs to make it harder.”
Did she actually say that LA clubs are lame and that going to European clubs defines who she is? That’s made me laugh a little. To be fair to her, she has avoided the Lohan route, although that bar is exceptionally low, and going to LA clubs would make her a paparazzi target, which she never seemed to mind before. Also her take on Me Too sounds victim-blamey and similar to Drew Barrymore’s position, but I didn’t want to put that in the headline because it would be a clusterf*k in the comments. I do feel for her that she had her photos leaked, that’s awful. As for her issues with money, I’m sure a lot of rich people and celebrities have similar high expenditures that stress them out, they just don’t talk about it openly like this. They keep it to themselves because it sounds elitist and out of touch with what average people go through. “Oh no I have two homes and staff and it’s so expensive! I’m headed to a underground club in East Berlin to find myself.”
And N.Y.
I still remember when the photos leaked and she was actually made to apologize for it. Right when she was about to start doing promo for HSM 2, if I’m not wrong. I still can’t believe how no one saw how f*cked up that was.
Oh yeah, I remember. I looked it up and Disney even said that they hoped “she learned a valuable lesson” from that.
What about the person that stole and leaked those photos? Where is the lesson that,… don’t know… you just don’t share this stuff?
But hey, at least Vanessa learned that victims of photo leaks are to blame! Maybe that was the lesson Disney was referring to. At that time I was 12 and I believe I was just shocked because she was acting so “wild”. I now feel bad for that.
That’s horrible.
As tough as things still are, I think we are making progress. While i think there will always people who blame the victim, I do see more and more people pushing back against that.
I actually appreciate she’s not about the glamour and type of people LA clubs bring. She’s rich but I appreciate it, no matter how rich you are you often feel like you want more. Johny Depp was in financial trouble because he overspent and having several houses alone makes it expensive.
People are making fun of her berlin or NY comment but I completely understand her! I live in East Berlin, and I also like Vanessa, hate the LA type of clubs where you dress up, it’s all about spending money and keeping up appearances whereas you go to a club in Berlin and people dress however they want, and they are just there for the music. Both are form of escapism but my god I would never step foot in the LA Hollywood type of clubs but I love the non-judgment feeling in Berlin clubs (NY has similar underground raves too). So I can’t hate on her for that!
Co-sign on the freedom and joy of the Berlin club scene. So unpretentious and fun. One of the big things I miss about living in Europe…
Lol as if she can ever feel qualified to have a debate on bodily autonomy when she is glossing over a rapist.
I’m sorry that leak happened to her, but she is far too old to be this clueless.
Who’s the rapist she trynna gloss over?
Woody Allen.
I may be reading between the lines a little too much here but what I’m seeing is that she bought two homes when the money was rolling in, and now that her career is stalled her expenses aren’t matching up with her income and it stresses her out. She hasn’t had a hit since HSM which was what, a decade ago? I can imagine aging with few career prospects and a ton of expenses is really stressful. She … should probably sell one of those homes. I’m not gonna say she should retire because I think she works fairly consistently but like… if you can’t afford two homes, don’t have two homes.
Just looking at imdb, she works quite a bit, and pretty steadily. Who knew? But it’s probably not Disney channel money anymore, so she needs to grow up, sell off what she can’t afford, and live more modestly.
Yeah I’ve seen her in several Netflix holiday movies but it’s definitely not the same income. Sorry if I suggested she’s not working- I’m saying her income has decreased. She definitely works, she just hasn’t had a hit. She was on a sitcom a few years ago that I LOVED about regular people in a superhero universe. I was so bummed that it was cancelled.
She was in that J Lo movie two years back. She does work.
I’m sure the sticker shock on those mortgages is pretty severe even if you are making good money. I can imagine being stressed out by that.
I also wondered “Why not sell one of the homes then?” It’s always very sad when celebrities who’ve earned a lot of money go bankrupt because their spending was out of control. I’m glad she’s thinking about it at least!
Well, someone was quick to blame paying taxes here.
I appreciate she’s talking about this subject openly, it feels like most celeb, no matter the grade (A to Z list) always pretend everything is fine and free (well, they do get a ridiculous amount of freebie tbf)
That being said, I’m not sure all her money “leaving” her bank accounts is because of taxes, but it is surely more related to the Instagram glam life she still wishes to have while her revenues are maybe not as high as they used to (I genuinely have no idea what she is up to, maybe she is huge in Japan and makes a fortune doing Hallmark movies and shampoo commercials).
I guess raving in Berlin defines you, but apparently it also empty your bank account. Who knew?
Based on her recent screen credentials she maybe makes less than a million a year, maybe less—— maybe half a million.And hopefully she has invested her Disney cash and gets income from her investments. But half of all of that is probably eaten up by lawyer fees and agent fees and taxes. She probably has to pay her own travel and hotel costs when she promotes a project , which would be expensive. And then there’s the fees for makeup artists and hair and couture clothing. And she probably has homes in really expensive tax districts. Then security fees, if needed, and transportation expenses. And she probably pays for her mother’s lifestyle and maybe her sister’s. I find it refreshing that she’s honest about it because we see these people and think they have no issues, financial or otherwise. I remember Bryce Howard said something similar about her earlier years as an upcoming actress. Her father didn’t pay for her lifestyle, and she said she literally couldn’t afford the dresses and travel required for her work.
I appreciate some of what Vanessa has to say. As someone who’s experienced all 3, LA clubs are nothing like nightlife/warehouse parties in NYC or especially Berlin. It’s a totally different scene and truly something that can make your soul flourish!
Completely agree! I experienced all three and I live in Berlin now and let me say LA is NOTHING like the warehouse parties in NY or Berlin clubs. I have literally went to clubs in Berlin wearing jeans and a T-shirt with no make up, and had a fantastic night – I just can’t believe this would be the same in LA lol. I heard Montreal compares tho and has a similar scene. Who knew!
If she isn’t considering selling the least used house, then perhaps she should rent it out?
I wonder what her properties look like/how big they are. You can have a beautiful home without a $4k/mo mortgage.
Eff her and her victim-blaming BS. I am also a person who stands up for myself and others, who takes pride in taking no shit, yet I’ve still been sexually harassed and I’ve still been raped. This is not my fault. This doesn’t negate those qualities. This is the fault of the men (in my case) who committed those actions.