“I am a happy person,” Hudgens says as she settles in to talk about the new movie. The feature film that is in movie theaters Oct. 24 is the end of a three-year journey that has made the 19-year-old Salinas, Calif., native a superstar. Her face is as well known as fellow Disney star Miley Cyrus or any one of the Jonas Brothers.

She’s got plenty of reasons to be happy. Her role as the very positive Gabriella Montez in the three films gave her a chance to do the thing she loves to do: act, sing, dance. She even found romance with her leading man, Zac Efron.

That romance has not been all smiles. Tabloids and Web sites printed nude photos Hudgens had sent to Efron. That’s the kind of stuff that makes Mickey Mouse blush.

Mostly, though, it has all been good. Hudgens began acting at such an early age that she was home schooled. No traditional high school experience for her. No prom. No graduation line.

No problem.

“That is just another reason why ‘High School Musical’ means so much for me. I got to go to my prom for the first time, but it was a lot better. I got to have the prom every girl wishes they have,” Hudgens says of the prom sequence in the feature film. “I got to wear a cap and gown for the first time and graduate with people who I love dearly, cast members who have become my dearest friends.”

Positive, positive and more positive. That’s Hudgens.

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