Addressing her nude photo debacles in an interview with the LA Times, the 22-year-old said, "It's just silly because I'm a very present person, and that's the thing that has been so in the past."
Hudgens continued, "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."
As for carving a path for herself now that she's matured past the Disney days, Vanessa said, "You really have to stay strong, because times get tough. Especially in this business. It's a dog-eat-dog world."
The brunette beauty added, "There's so many amazing actresses who got taken advantage of. Someone like Natalie Wood, one of my idols — who knows what happened to her? She was on a boat that was mysteriously in the water, and now she's dead. A lot of women get walked all over on by not standing up for themselves, and that's just not what I'm about. I'm figuring myself out now as a young adult more than I ever have. It's like my eyes are opening and I'm awakening to controlling my future."