Vanessa Hudgens Gets 'Weird' In 'Bandslam'

With the release of Zac Efron's "17 Again" on April 17, it's "High School Musical" alumni week. MTV News is going to catch you up on what the future holds for all of your favorite East High Wildcats!

Just when Vanessa Hudgens thought she was leaving the cozy confines of high school musicals behind, she is making her way back into theaters this summer in the teen musical comedy "Bandslam."

Although her new character Sam is nothing like the squeaky-clean Gabriella in the "High School Musical" flicks, Hudgens was surprised to learn that much like "HSM," "Bandslam" would mean that she would once again have to sing for her supper.

"I didn't think it would be this much music when I came here," she told MTV News on the set of "Bandslam" in Austin, Texas, last year. "And they are like, 'We are going to have two weeks of music rehearsals,' and I was like, 'What?' But it was really cool. It's definitely not the kind of music I do normally.

"It's more rock and actually I play guitar in it, and I had to learn and I was really nervous because I didn't want to look stupid," she said about having to learn to play an instrument for the film. "But I think I pulled it off — I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

Luckily for Hudgens, though, she wouldn't have to reprise her role as the nice girl next door. In "Bandslam," she plays a "weird," gritty high school student, an opportunity that Hudgens welcomed.

"Playing Sam was a lot of fun for me because it's so opposite of me," she explained. "And it's just so opposite of the characters that I've been playing. I just kind of get dressed, do my lines and the way I say them and everything — I just kind of get into it. I just get to create a new person and I just kind of get into it."

For the movie — about a group of teens who find love and friendship while preparing for their school's battle of the bands — Hudgens got a chance to cover a bunch of songs, her favorite being "Everything I Own" by Bread. "We kind of make it our own," she said about the song. "It's very ska-esque, so it's all about the up-strum ... it's a lot of fun."

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