I've had many nicknames over the years: V, Nessa, Nessy Poo, Nessy Bear and Van. Only my parents call me Van, though, and I hate it. I get embarrassed.

Two years after her career in stage plays and musicals Vanessa Hudgens started auditioning for commercials and television shows and her family moved to Los Angeles after Vanessa Hudgens won a role in a television commercial. It holds a "rotten" rating of 42% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 119 reviews and an average rating of 5/10. The film saw Hudgens' portraying the new girl at high school who falls for the captain of the basketball team.

This led to Hudgens releasing her debut album V on September 26 2006 which entered the Billboard 200 at number 24 and was later certified Gold. Hudgens rose to prominence playing Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical series. She had her feature film debut in the 2003 film Thirteen a teenage drama in which Hudgens had a supporting role.