Vanessa Hudgens just made rare comments about the start of her relationship with ex-boyfriend Zac Efron.
The 36-year-old actress — who is expecting her second child with husband Cole Tucker — opened up about the nascent days of High School Musical with former co-star Bart Johnson on his Get Your Head In The Game podcast.
She looked back on the audition process, during which she hit it off with her would-be boyfriend Zac, 37.
The two went on to play on-screen couple Troy and Gabriella, as well as strike up a real-life romance.
Vanessa giggled as she recalled about her audition, ‘I was paired with this boy and I was like, “Oh, my God, he’s so cute. And so, like, the chemistry was so real.’
She said, ‘We got mix and matched with a bunch of people. I think I just got put with Zac right away.’
Vanessa Hudgens just made rare comments about the start of her relationship with ex-boyfriend Zac Efron; pictured in March 2024
Vanessa giggled as she recalled about her audition, ‘I was paired with this boy and I was like, “Oh, my god, he’s so cute. And so, like, the chemistry was so real’
She added, ‘And me and Ashley [Tisdale] had actually done a commercial together a few months before that.’
The actress also remembered, ‘There was one other girl there for Gabriella, one other guy there for Troy. We swapped, mixed and matched and yeah, that was it.’
The soon-to-be mother-of-two remarked about her chemistry with Zac, ‘It really does [help]… especially when you’re young and it’s all sweet and innocent.’
She continued, ‘It’s so funny looking back — I was so innocent but I was also playing so innocent, so it was like the hat on the hat. Like, wow, she’s really pure.
‘That totally was who I was, but the little rebellious teen side of me was like, “No, this isn’t me!”‘
And she discussed what it was like joining the Disney movie after having previous experience singing.
‘Coming from a musical theater background, that was and still is where my heart remains. So, I was very excited,’ she shared.
Vanessa and Zac dated from 2005-2010, and following their split she was in a relationship with Austin Butler from 2011-2020.
L-R Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Zac, Vanessa, Ashley Tisdale, and Lucas Grabeel in 2006
Vanessa and Zac dated from 2005-2010; pictured in 2009
The actress went on to find lasting love with her husband Cole Tucker; pictured in February 2022
The actress went on to find lasting love with her husband Cole Tucker.
She met her now-husband in November 2020, 11 months after breaking up with the Elvis star.
During a March 2024 appearance on the She Pivots podcast, Hudgens said, ‘I feel my last breakup has really catapulted me to a very, very special place, obviously.’
‘You pushed me to the right person,’ she said of Austin, adding that their split is something she is ‘so grateful for.’
Vanessa is expecting her second child with Cole, whom she wed in late 2023.
They welcomed their first baby, whose name and face haven’t been revealed publicly, in July 2024.
