It has been almost 14 years since High School Musical first aired on Disney Channel, but its effects on pop culture are still very relevant. Disney+ just brought us High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and now, Vanessa Hudgens is admitting that she still has a connection to her character, Gabriella Montez.

While many actors and actresses try to forget the major roll that made them famous in an attempt to not get pigeonholed, Vanessa is OK with the fact that people "100%" still think of her as Gabriella.

"It's really sweet that I get to be a part of people’s childhood and take them back to a time for them when things were simpler, you know," Vanessa told Who What Wear. "That’s a beautiful thing."

Vanessa admitted that she doesn't think people can put her "into a box," which is fair considering the numerous amount of character the actress has played since her days as Gabriella. Most recently, the actress played not one, but TWO characters in the Netflix holiday movie The Princess Switch. And she's stepping it up a notch this year by playing THREE characters in the movie's sequel, The Princess Switch: Switched Again.

Still, it's nice to know that Vanessa has a place in her heart for Gabriella, just like all the people around the world who memorized the choreography to "We're All In This Together" back in the day (🙋). What I want to know now is if Vanessa will be making a cameo in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 2???

preview for Vanessa Hudgens | 17 Questions

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Carolyn Twersky
Associate Editor

Carolyn Twersky is an associate editor for Seventeen covering celebrities, entertainment, politics, trends, and health. On her off time, she's probably watching Ru Paul's Drag Race, traversing NYC for the best donuts, or, most likely, enjoying time in her favorite place in the world: her bed.