Vanessa Hudgens talks strength of mind, slaying dragons in “Sucker Punch”

Posted by nerdblog

on April 5, 2011M at 10:43 am

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Actress Vanessa Hudgens met with journalists while promoting her new film “Sucker Punch” with a bathrobe over her clothes. New fashion, she was asked? “Or, just warm,” she replied.

On a rare rainy, overcast day in Los Angeles, Hudgens talked about her role in the dark action film “Sucker Punch,” now in theaters. Directed by Zack Snyder, the movie takes place in layers: a mental institution, a brothel and multiple fantasy worlds of high adventure.

Hudgens came to prominence in Disney’s squeaky-clean “High School Musical” series at age 18, after beginning acting at age 14.

She’s moving forward as a scantily clad action star in “Sucker Punch.” She shared one of her favorite sequences from “Sucker Punch.”

“I loved the dragons, the orc world,” Hudgens said. “‘Lord of the Rings’ is one of my favorite movies, and it deals with a lot of orcs. It was really awesome seeing Zack put together these creatures that he does so well, in this incredible world with dragons, and a B-25 bomber plane where I got to shoot some of the biggest guns I’ve ever seen in my life.”

She listed some of the female action heroes who inspired her to shoot those big guns: “Angelina Jolie, Sigourney Weaver, Uma Thurman in ‘Kill Bill.’ … They’re just really strong women that you get to see kick butt,” she said.

The 22-year-old actress stars as Blondie in “Sucker Punch,” though her brunette hair remains. She said Blondie, despite her beautiful exterior, has some inner flaws.

“Blondie does a lot of things out of fear,” Hudgens said of her character in the film. “When you’re doing things out of fear, they’re usually not the smartest of things.”

While Hudgens didn’t address her recent scandal in which compromising photos of her were stolen — TMZ has reported the FBI is investigating — her statement on the lessons of the movie could be applied to Hudgens’ own situation.

“The freedom and strength of the mind — we don’t give it enough credit,” Hudgens said. “It’s just amazing that when you are put in dire, compromising situations, you really can find your own positives, find your own freedom and make your destiny.”

Hudgens did sing and dance in “Sucker Punch,” but fans will have to wait for the DVD release. The production numbers by the cast were cut, though glimpses of each dance remain in the credits.

“I do a belly dance,” she said. “It was very spectacular, like, Moroccan set with amazing veils and all this bedazzlement.”

After releasing two movies in March — the “Beauty and the Beast” update “Beastly” and “Sucker Punch,” Hudgens will next be seen in “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Michael Caine in September. The film was shot in Hawaii.

“It’s a big, fun, family 3-D adventure film,” she said. “I got to work with Michael Caine, so I get to check it off the bucket list.”

- By Matthew Price
From Sunday’s The Oklahoman