Professional Life: After appearing in all three High School Musical films, Hudgens went on to star in films such as Bandslam, Beastly, Sucker Punch, Spring Breakers, Machete Kills, Second Act and Bad Boys for Life.
“High School Musical was a fantastic journey, but it completely derailed me from where I originally saw my career going,” Hudgens told The Guardian in an August 2018 interview. “I always wanted to be the indie girl; I always wanted to be in the movies where I’m playing a drug addict or a stripper or a prostitute. That was my goal since I was like, 11.”
In 2015, Hudgens made her Broadway debut in a revival of the musical Gigi.
Major Heartache: In 2016, she returned to her musical roots and played Rizzo in Fox’s Grease Live! Hours before the live production, she revealed that her father, Greg Hudgens, had died at age 65 after battling stage 4 cancer. “Tonight, I do the show in his honor,” she tweeted, before giving one of the best performances of her career. She returned for Fox’s live staging of Rent in 2019.
Personal Life: Hudgens remains good friends with High School Musical co-star Ashley Tisdale. In 2011, a year after Hudgens and Zac Efron split, she began dating actor Austin Butler. The couple split in early 2020.