Vanessa Hudgens’ Mysterious Island Secrets!

By: Lynn Barker

EXCLUSIVE interview: Kidzworld is 1 on 1 in Hawaii with the “Mysterious Island” star!

Hey, you’ve probably seen the pix of Vanessa Hudgens having a swimsuit top malfunction in Hawaii while at the beach with her boyfriend but we’re not going there. A day or two before that incident occurred, we were at the Kahala Resort on a beautiful beach on Oahu tucked into a fun, private beach cabana talking to the “High School Musical” icon about her new life, desire to sometimes be strong yet “girlie”, fear of failure, her adventurous spirit, fun with co-star Josh Hutcherson and getting creeped out by jungle bugs!

Picture the dark-haired beauty wearing an adorable black and white Hawaiian-influenced, floor length sun dress by Top Shop.

• Vanessa: [getting all comfy and tucking her bare feet under her] This thing [the big lounge we’re sharing] is so cool!

Kidzworld: I know! You can hear the waves too! You must be exhausted with all the publicity you are doing.

• Vanessa: No!  I’m outside in Hawaii. It’s perfect.

Kidzworld: After you have been through the “High School Musical” craze and have now been building your career, what would you like to go back in time and tell your 13-year-old self?

• Vanessa: You know I have no regrets.  I think everything that I’ve done in the past has shaped me to become the person I am today so I wouldn’t go back and change anything. The things that I maybe would tell myself not to do, that things that may have gone wrong have just made me that much stronger. I’m thicker-skinned. It’s good to have thick skin.

Kidzworld: Especially in this business. Talk about balancing your “Mysterious Island” character Kailani’s emotions in this film with her tough girl exterior.

• Vanessa: It was a lot of fun. That was definitely one thing that we wanted Kailani to be; a tough cookie. She’s been through a decent amount. She’s had to look out for her family. She’s probably been had one or two times. You definitely have to stand up for yourself as a woman. You can get walked all over. Kailani definitely holds her ground and stays true to what she knows is right. Also, a girl is a girl. You can’t help but be feminine at times and fall for someone and go through life as a female.

Kidzworld: Sounds like you identify with your character.

• Vanessa: I think it’s a beautiful character. Women are powerful and Kailani definitely sticks with that and her relationship with her father I love. I’m very close to my family but it’s that thing when you’re at a certain age, your parents can seem like the most embarrassing thing on the whole entire planet and you want to be nowhere near them! But, at the end of the day you know that you can’t literally do anything without them.

Kidzworld: Talk about Kailani’s relationship with Josh’s character Sean. She seems to have the upper hand.

• Vanessa: [laughs] She’s in control of Josh’s character. Kind of swatting him around like a fly. It’s definitely a funny relationship. In the beginning she wants nothing to do with him. He’s just another American tourist but, through everything, I feel like he really opens her eyes and heart to adventure which is an amazing gift to be able to give someone.

Kidzworld: What surprised you about Josh Hutcherson?

• Vanessa: How carefree Josh is. It’s hard. Every now and then, in the business there are a lot of people who can care about what other people think and morph themselves into something they’re not and it’s refreshing when you meet people who are very true to themselves. Josh is very true to himself and very silly and kind of crazy just like me so it was nice having a partner in crime when it comes to just being a spaz.

Kidzworld: Let’s talk creepy things in the jungle. What creeped you out?

• Vanessa: Real things [not CGI critters]? The centipedes that were crawling around were just so disgusting and massive and all their little legs crawling freaked me out.

Kidzworld: Your director on this movie says you were fearless but what in life scares you? I know the bugs in the jungle weren’t wonderful but other than that?

• Vanessa: Those centipedes were awful. [I tell her a story about big centipedes dropping from the ceiling on me while in a cave]. Ooooo God, that’s horrible! I try to go through life fearlessly but failure is scary. Nobody wants to fail. Just to be afraid to fail.

When you’re young you want to impress everybody and do the best for your parents. It’s all this pressure. But, since I’ve grown up, I’ve thrown myself into situations where I don’t know if I’m gonna come out okay but I try to go into the unknown with an open heart. That makes me fearless, in a sense. I’m not afraid to try anything. I’ve gone skydiving and I love it. I’ve repelled down waterfalls and kayaked. I’m such an adventurous person.

Kidzworld: So if a guy is going to be with you, he’d better be…..

• Vanessa: Game!

Kidzworld: This movie is all about having a sense of adventure. Have you been that way since you were a kid or is that something new?

• Vanessa: When I was a kid I was really shy. I only had one friend. I asked my mom if I could have a little sister so I can have a playmate. I was closed off to everyone else. When she was born it was just me, her and my mom against the world. So, I was comfortable with them in that sense. We went to Yosemite every year so I was used to the great outdoors and being able to appreciate it for its beauty. I’m a complete nature girl.

Kidzworld: What was the toughest thing about doing this film?

• Vanessa: I think for me it was the water. I have a pet peeve that is so ridiculous but I hate getting my face wet and fully submersing myself under the water and opening my eyes and acting underwater aggravates me. I don’t know why.

Kidzworld: Talk about working with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

• Vanessa: He’s awesome. He really is an extremely large guy. I thought that he was gonna be big but you can’t imagine how massive a human being he can be until you meet him.  But he’s such an incredibly sweet guy. He’s very genuine, really funny, very silly. Very charming.

Kidzworld: Do you ever get so involved in your roles that you get confused about who you really are?

• Vanessa: Thank kind of happens but, for me that’s more short term. A few things may stick with me but, over time, that fades away and I become myself again. I think all the parts I do play are an extension of myself so I pull from that but, at the end of the day, I go back to my happy, bubbly, giggly Vanessa.

Kidzworld: What skill do you want to learn, either for your acting or just for yourself?

• Vanessa: Humm, I want to learn how to play the harp. It’s so stunningly beautiful and so angelic; the purest sound of music. It’s all the vibrations, so whimsical. I’ve played guitar. I picture me putting in really long hair extensions and wearing long flowy dresses. Maybe wear wings, who knows?

Kidzworld: You are so girlie! [She laughs]. Okay, what is your pet peeve on a date?  If he does this, you are so through with him.

• Vanessa: Talk about himself all the time.  I can’t stand guys who are extremely into themselves. Also I can’t stand jaded people in general. I can’t do that.

Kidzworld: Is there a person in history or character in a book you would love to play some day?

• Vanessa: Natalie Wood. I adore actress Natalie Wood.  I could play that. I know I could. I kind of resemble her. Her life was so sad. They re-opened the case on her death. 

Kidzworld: What about the homeless character you play in the upcoming film Gimme Shelter how did you connect with that?

• Vanessa: I actually lived in a homeless teen shelter for two weeks before we started filming and just kind of became one of the girls, hanging out with them and their children, listening to their stories. Chopping your hair off makes you feel like a different person; the make-up the tattoos, the piercings.  It was a transformation.

Kidzworld: Didn’t the girls in the shelter know who you were?

• Vanessa: They knew but it’s irrelevant to their lifestyle. They really couldn’t care less. It doesn’t benefit them in any way by knowing me. They’re just trying to get by.

Kidzworld: Are you giving up your music?

• Vanessa: Definitely not giving it up. Music is such a big part of my life. My closest friends are musicians and I’m constantly surrounded by it but for me, right now, it’s not something I’ve been doing. In this movie, I’m letting Dwayne have the music spotlight.