High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens has revealed that she wants to 'branch out' from the franchise that made her a star.
The role of Gabriella Montez in the Disney Channel movie shot her to stardom as High School Musical went on to be dubbed today's equivalent to Grease, it spawned two sequels.
Speaking to the Associated Press the actress said: "It definitely is a love-hate thing, you know. Disney is incredible and High School Musical did wonders, and I could not be more thankful," she said.
"But at the same time, people see me as my character, Gabriella. And I’m just excited to kind of branch out of that and have people see me in a new light.
"You can put yourself in a hole in the ground if you continue to do the same thing."
And 2009 looks set to be a busy couple of years for Hudgens with the release of Bandslam, Beastly and Sucker Punch.
Speaking about her part in Sucker Punch she said: "People, I think are going to be genuinely shocked.
"It’s about these girls in a mental institution that in their heads gets turned around to be a brothel. And in the meanwhile they are kicking serious ass."
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