Vanessa Hudgens was already becoming a household name thanks her starring role in the insanely popularHigh School Musical and High School Musical 2 films from Disney. Now the appearance of a nude photo (see NSFW here) has made her name even more well-known. Hudgens quickly apologized for the photograph and Disney quickly backed her apology. ABC says she is earning praise for the way she handled the incident.
The actress admitted last week to posing nude in a photograph, apologized and is now hoping she didn't just ruin her chances to continue with the multimillion-dollar "High School Musical" franchise. It's not the slip-up that has Hollywood talking, it's the way the 18-year-old handled it that's earning her praises and may have just catapulted her career to the next level.
It was something that was never meant to become public. A series of photos of a young Hudgens sans clothing in a bathroom spread across the Internet last week.
"This was a photo, which was taken privately," said a statement from Hudgens' publicist. "It is a personal matter and it is unfortunate that this has become public."
But, according to a new report from an anonymous source in People magazine, the photo was meant for someone.
That someone is Drake Bell, a 19-year-old actor who is currently starring in "Drake and Josh" on Nickelodeon. Hudgens reportedly sent the photos to Bell two years ago as an admiring fan before she was famous. Bell's representative, Jill Fritzo, said her client was unaware of the photos.
The nudee photo really isn't something that is shocking and it isn't a particularly sexy pose or outfit. The fact that it was meant to be private makes it almost a non-issue. Today's kids have digital cameras to play with and they aren't afraid to use them. "Lapses in judgement" like nude photos are bound to happen. Rumors about who the photo was really meant for have also emerged. The rumors (see here) say the photo wasn't meant for Vanessa's current boyfriend and co-star Zac Efron but for Nickelodeon star Drake Bell. The ABC story says the general consensus is the the nude photo has become an overall winner for Vanessa. Had the photo been more risque or had there been a sex tape then things may have been a lot different and she might have lost Disney's continued support.
Vanessa Hudgens was already becoming a household name thanks her starring role in the 