Vanessa Hudgens is setting the bar high as she began the Halloween season with a loud bang! Vanessa Hudgens is setting the bar high as she began the Halloween season with a loud bang! The California-born actress has moved past her teenybopper persona after her breakthrough role as the intelligent and charming new girl, Gabriella Montez, in the 2006 musical film "High School Musical" with her then-boyfriend, Zac Efron.