Vanessa Hudgens Lived In A Homeless Shelter For Two Weeks To Research A Role (VIDEO)

Vanessa Hudgens has left her "High School Musical" days behind and, like many of her former Disney cohorts, is attempting to tackle edgier roles.

In her upcoming film, "Gimme Shelter," the 23-year-old plays a pregnant, homeless teenager, and Hudgens went to impressive lengths to do her research.

"I actually went and stayed in the shelter for two weeks before I started filming," Hudgens revealed on Friday's episode of "The Rachael Ray Show." "I lived there with all the girls, with all the kids. It's really empowering and it's fun pushing yourself as far as you can."

Both Hudgens and Rosario Dawson, who plays her "meth head" mother in the film, took on radically different looks to fit the roles.

"[Dawson and I] look so messed up in this movie. I actually cut my own hair... I did that to myself, yes I did," she said referring her cropped, messy haircut in the film.

Taking on heavier roles and committing to them physically (Hudgens also gained weight for the film) is part of how she challenges herself.

"[The lighter films] are definitely the projects that come along a lot easier. But I feel like doing such different things [and] I am not afraid to go the extra mile and dive into a character," she recently told The Huffington Post. "I think word is starting to get out there. The parts that I've been doing recently are completely different, and I've been given the opportunity to do them, so I am very thankful."

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Comments

[kvh32055]

08:50 AM on 02/12/2012

Amazing, I commented 2 times on this story. The first one was ridiculing the spoiled little brat for putting someone out that needed to be there. The 2nd comment ridiculed Huff Post. As soon as the words "Huff Post" appeared the comment was pending approval!

Do we think HUFF POST doesn't like being made fun of?

[kvh32055]

08:45 AM on 02/12/2012

I wonder how many REAL homeless teenagers had to spend the night on the streets so she could "research her role"?
I bet she ran home or back to her hotel every morning to clean herself up. Give me a break, she could have lived under a highway underpass for 2 weeks and not put anyone out to

[jstolteddybear]

08:09 AM on 02/12/2012

yeah its really hard when you move in and everyone knews your a star and you know your only going to be there for two weeks. Like going to camp. Good work Vannessa

[redbuns]

07:04 AM on 02/12/2012

well...isn't that special.

[lifehub]

04:20 AM on 02/12/2012

Very deceptive and misleading headline. As soon as I read the first few lines of the article, I didn't bother finishing.

[kvh32055]

08:47 AM on 02/12/2012

It's a typical Huff Post misleading headline designed to get hits on thier story. You may as well have finished reading, there were only 7 lines in total!

[exoticdoc2]

12:40 AM on 02/12/2012

Not the same thing. She knew all along that she could walk away from it and go back to her comfortable life.

[kalicoangel]

11:10 PM on 02/11/2012

To research a role? How very condescending of her.

[GOODDOC1]

11:09 PM on 02/11/2012

I hope she paid for a family to spend those two weeks in a hotel while she was taking up the space meant for the truly homeless!

[megandvc]

09:21 PM on 02/12/2012

How she can even act like what she did made her special is beyond me, I guarantee she forgot all about those families the minute she got into her car and drove home to her comfy house.

[stjoshy]

09:26 PM on 02/12/2012

agreed

[kalicoangel]

11:09 PM on 02/11/2012

WHO?

[redbuns]

07:05 AM on 02/12/2012

post of the day.

[kaylovshim]

11:00 PM on 02/11/2012

she dresses like she lives in one anyways. i hope she gave something to the shelter.

[Sean Lucas]

10:41 PM on 02/11/2012

"I lived there with all the girls, with all the kids. It's really empowering and it's fun pushing yourself as far as you can."

Probably not as much fun for all the girls and all the kids who were at the homeless shelter because they were homeless and therefore weren't leaving after two weeks for a multi-million dollar mansion. I hope she made a sizable contribution to this place.

[redbuns]

07:05 AM on 02/12/2012

typical idiotic hollywood comment.

[rslesinski]

07:22 PM on 02/11/2012

I would think it would be very sad to see these poor girls. Vanessa didn't seem too empathetic to their situation. Vanessa only seemed concerned with how proud she was that she lived there for two weeks. How sad and out of touch.

[DJspapa1]

07:45 AM on 02/11/2012

Big deal!!

[Tim Day]

01:55 AM on 02/11/2012

Why.....so she could make the homeless feel even worse or take up a bed someone who really in need got turned away from?

[jaye4412]

01:22 AM on 02/11/2012

Wow, I guess she must really feel like she acomplished something... Why couldn't they take someone who REALLY lived that way, give them some acting classes, and let them play the role ?? Just saying...