Vanessa Hudgens still a teenage dream in “Beastly”

Long after her "High School" days are over, Vanessa Hudgens remains a teenage dream who is in no hurry to grow up -- at least in her career.

The 22-year-old who found fame as a teen sweetheart in "High School Musical" relishes playing young characters, as she did in 2009 movie "Bandslam." And on Friday, she's back in school for "Beastly" as the quiet and unassuming Lindy, who falls for a disfigured 17-year-old, played by Alex Pettyfer.

"High school is such a complex time," Hudgens told Reuters. "You go through so much and you learn so much about yourself that I don't get bored. I want to stay young as long as I can and take advantage of being able to play high school characters, rather than snubbing it off and trying to grow up too fast."

Based on Alex Flinn's young adult novel of the same name, "Beastly" puts a contemporary twist on the classic tale of "Beauty and the Beast," about a woman who can look beyond the physical appearance of a man to see inner beauty.

Lindy doesn't know the 'beast' of "Beastly" happens to be the school's most popular boy, a shallow kid who previously never gave her the time of day.

A motherless girl whose father has addiction issues, Lindy has a "meek, sensitive side" that Hudgens said she liked exploring as an actress.

via Vanessa Hudgens still a teenage dream in "Beastly" - Yahoo! News.