A profound curiosity about her Filipino roots and a desire to understand the influences that have shaped her identity drove Filipino-American actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens to visit the Philippines for the very first time.
During a press conference held in Taguig City on Friday, March 31, Hudgens bared that one of her life goals was to know herself better before starting her own family with her fiancée, American professional baseball player Cole Tucker.
"I’m in my 30s now, I’m thinking about like raising a family. I wanna be able to know my heritage so that my kids can know their background. They can know more about their blood," she said.
The 34-year-old actress attributes her appreciation of close familial connections to the values instilled by her Filipino heritage.
"Just the family aspect of the Philippines is something that is common and so strong and I’ve always been so close with my mom and my sister. We are a pack all the time, that’s definitely something I’ve got from heritage," said Hudgens.
PH's Global tourism ambassador
Last Friday, March 30, the actress was named as Global tourism Ambassador to the Philippines.
As the new tourism ambassador, Hudgens said she would introduce the Philippines to the world as a country that "has a little bit of everything" for it got paradise and a metropolitan city at the same time.
She also praised her fellow Filipinos, saying that their hospitalities are "unmatched."
"Everyone's so warm, so friendly. The people here are very unique, you know? Everyone is just so warm. I feel like I've never met anyone who seems to be having a bad day," Hudgens said.
"It’s just a wonder and a magical place," she added.
'The Awakening' travel documentary
Apart from getting to know herself more, Hudgens also traveled to her mother's homeland to work on a travel documentary with a working titled "The Awakening". This project is produced by Ten17P Films and directed by Presidential Advisory for Creative Communications Secretary Paul Soriano.
According to Hudgens, the travel documentary will center on her "intimate experience" in the country.
"It’s really discovering this beautiful land and wonderful people and just getting in touch with the piece of myself that's always been there but I've never known intimately," she added.
Earlier this week, Hudgens went to Palawan where she tried hiking and swimming and ate Pinoy's favorite chicken adobo despite being a pescetarian for almost nine years.
Future projects
The actress, meanwhile, is not closing her doors to working on another project in the country, and if given an opportunity, she said she would like to try a film that focuses on tribes.
"I feel like there's not a lot of light in that and it would be nice to able to preserve that," Hudgens said.
She then gave a parting message for aspiring Hollywood actors and actresses, saying that fame should not be one's goal.
"For me, the reason why I am where I am is because of the craft I’m passionate about, it’s because of telling stories that I am passionate about. If you are always trying to get famous and that’s your goal, don’t do it with the entertainment industry," she underscored.
Hudgens became well-known for her outstanding portrayal of Gabriela Montez in the 2006 television series "High School Musical."
Since her "High School Musical" stint, she starred in various films and series such as “Spring Breakers”, “Gimme Shelter”, and “Bad Boys for Life”.
Hudgens was also one of the lead stars in the Oscar-nominated Lin-Manuel Miranda-directed musical “Tick, Tick …Boom!” and she executively produced and starred in Netflix’s film “The Knight Before Christmas” as well as all three installments of “The Princess Switch”.
