High School Was Good For Vanessa Hudgens Net Worth—Here’s Why

 By: Jackie Bonaventura

Actress and signer Vanessa Hudgens net worth of $10 million may seem paltry when compared to other big-name celebs. But considering her age, $10 million at 27 is pretty good! That’s plenty of time to catch up to her seniors in the business.

Early Acting

Born December 14, 1988 in Salinas, California, Vanessa Anne Hudgens began singing at a young age; she began doing musical theater beginning at age eight and appeared in the likes of The Wizard of Oz and Cinderella. Two years later—when her passion for acting was apparent and she had begun auditioning for television—Hudgens landed a role in a commercial, leading her family to move to Los Angeles so she could better pursue opportunities.
Vanessa Hudgens would first grace TV screens in 2002 when, at age 13, she appeared on an episode of the CBS sitcom Still Standing. Her theatric debut came a year later when she played a supporting role in the drama Thirteen. Her next role was in 2004’s Thunderbirds, which wasn’t anywhere near as well received as Thirteen, though not for any fault of Hudgens’.

High School Musical Fame

Her big break came in 2005 when she was cast in the lead role of High School Musical, a Disney Channel  Original Movie. With 7.7 million viewers and millions in merchandise sales, the movie was a smash hit and made Vanessa Hudgens a household name overnight. She was reportedly paid $2.0 million for appearing in the movie, and also gained something else: a boyfriend. She and co-star Zac Efron dated for a number of years, though the relationship ended in late 2010.

Photo: Instagram/everythinghsm

Hudgens also recorded songs for the film and its soundtrack, with one—a duet with Efron titled “Breaking Free”—being her only Billboard 100 top 10 hit thus far. Following High School Musical’s success and still riding the film’s popularity, she began work on her first solo album, V, which was released in September 2006. It sold 34,000 copies in its first week and 570,000 copies as of mid-2009, earning $582,000.
High School Musical 2, again featuring Hudgens, first aired in 2007 to 17.2 million viewers, making the movie the highest-rated that the Disney Channel has ever aired; it’s a safe bet that after the success of the first film, the second added heavily to Vanessa Hudgens’ net worth. Work on her second album, Identified, began the next year; the album sold 22,000 copies in its first week, earning $25,000, making it a commercial failure. High School Musical 3: Senior Year would follow in 2008—released in theatres this time, as opposed to on the Disney Channel—and proved to be more successful. It debuted at number one and achieved the biggest opening ever for a musical. The film would ultimately make $252.9 million worldwide.

Life After High School Musical

Hudgens’ next major film appearance, 2010’s Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, would enjoy almost the same success as High School Musical 3, grossing over $325 million worldwide. Her subsequent starring role came a year later with Spring Breakers, which was released in 2013 to positive reviews. The film also marked the first movie Hudgens did post–High School Musical that featured very non-Disney content, like sex and violence. Not that this wasn’t the first time Hudgens has been tied to adult material, as both 2007 and 2009 saw nude photos of the actress get leaked to the public. However, her career clearly recovered and probably even helped her net worth by adding more men to her fan base (even if those are the kind of fans one would rather not have).

Photo: Instagram/springbreakers

Vanessa Hudgens still keeps busy, taking on other, less notable film roles and even returned to the stage in 2015 in a Broadway production of Gigi. In 2014, she announced that she was working on a new album, though no other information has been provided. She also makes money from appearances; for instance, she was reportedly paid $15,000 by McDonald’s to appear at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The value of her home can also be added to her net worth, as her Los Angeles residence is said to be worth over $2.7 million.

Grease: Live

Photo: Instagram/vanessahudgens

Vanessa Hudgens’ most recent project was taking on the role of Rizzo for the Fox production of Grease: Live. It was an especially hard performance for Hudgens, as she received news just the night before that her father had passed away after losing his battle to cancer. Despite the tragic loss, Hudgens still managed to blow fans away with her rendition of the classic character—we wouldn’t be surprised if it leads to other, even more prominent acting roles, only further building on her already impressive net worth.
Vanessa Hudgens may not have had the musical and Hollywood success outside of the High School Musical films that one would expect, but her ability to remain relevant hasn’t dwindled in the slightest. Look for the Vanessa Hudgens’ net worth to grow as she continues to expand her resume and take on a variety of roles.