As Vanessa Hudgens looks to shed her tween star label, she's also seeking to distance herself from another, more unwanted notoriety.
Hudgens, best known for her turn in Disney's three smash hit "High School Musical" films, and now starring in Zack Snyder's fantasy femme fatale film "Sucker Punch," spoke to the LA Times about her career and the nude photo scandal that has followed her for years. Private photos of Hudgens, posing nude, leaked out onto the internet in 2007, causing a ruckus for the young star. A second leak occurred in 2009, and this winter, more photos from the same set made their way to the public.
"It's just silly because I'm a very present person, and that's the thing that has been so in the past," she said. "The fact that somebody keeps bringing up the past is just selfish. I mean, it sucks. I already released a statement the first time it happened. It's just unfortunate that it keeps reminding people about the past and not the present."
Back in 2007, Hudgens expressed regret for the entire situation in a generic statement.
"I want to apologize to my fans, whose support and trust means the world to me," she said in her statement. "I am embarrassed over this situation and regret having ever taken these photos. I am thankful for the support of my family and friends."
She was more candid, however, in an interview the next year, calling the experience "traumatic" and intimating that she had made a youthful mistake.
"My parents are very supportive of me. And they know I'm a teenager, and yes, kids do stupid things sometimes," Hudgens said. "It's very unfortunate because with the Internet these days, you don't have a personal life. Nothing is private: Everyone knows everything, and they can find out everything about you. You're not as safe as you think you are, and you have to be aware of the people you're around."
Hudgens' nude photo leaks have led to an investigation into a group of hackers that break into celebrity computers and mobile devices to steal private photos and other items.
The star hasn't been afraid to show skin in a controlled environment, though; she wears suggestive outfits in "Sucker Punch," and has starred in a number of skin-baring ad campaigns and magazine photo shoots, including this recent one for Shape Magazine.
For more from Hudgens, including talk about "Sucker Punch" and her breakup with Zac Efron, click over to the LA Times.