NEWSVanessa Hudgens Lived in a Homeless Shelter to Prepare for her Role in 'Gimme Shelter'
Feb. 10 2012, Published 6:43 a.m. ET
She may be well-situated now, but Vanessa Hudgens knows first-hand what it's like to live in a homeless shelter.
The actress appeared on The Rachael Ray Show today and confessed that in order to prepare for her role as a pregnant, homeless teen in her new film Gimme Shelter, she lived like one — but don't worry, Vanessa didn't really get pregnant.
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"I actually went and stayed in a shelter for two weeks before I started filming," the 23-year-old actress tells Rachael Ray. "I lived there with all the girls, with all the kids, so I think that it's really interesting because you find so much more about yourself."
Vanessa took the idea of "method acting" very seriously, even chopping her own hair off to relate to her character's struggles. (Yup, we're still thankful she didn't actually get knocked up for the role).
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"I cut my own hair for this movie. I did that to myself, yes I did," Vanessa admits, adding that she and her co-star Rosario Dawson, who plays her "meth head" mom in Gimme Shelter, "both look so messed up in this movie."
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"It's really empowering," Vanessa says of delving deep into a character, "and it's fun pushing yourself as far as you can."
The High School Musical star is also staring in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, out today, where her typically long, flowing mane is still intact.
