Before now, I’ve never really had a problem with Vanessa Hudgens. I never particularly liked her, but she seemed like a Disney kid who grew up okay – there were some growing pains, some leaked photos, some relationship drama, some tabloid interest, but now she’s 30 years old and still working on whatever she can get, pretty much. She sings, she dances, she makes a lot of Hallmark Channel and Netflix movies. It was because of one of those movies – Netflix’s The Knight Before Christmas – that she sat down to chat with the LA Times. Which is where she mentioned that she would love to do more indie films, and she would love to work with… Woody Allen. Oh, honey. Please don’t do this for attention. Some highlights from this LAT piece:

Why she’s been making so many Christmas movies: “If I can bring a family together at a special time of year and allow them to escape from their lives and live the rest of their day feeling a little lighter, then I think that’s a really beautiful gift.”

Her roles in “Spring Breakers” & “Gimme Shelter”: “I wanted to be the indie girl. I always have been and I always will be…. I wanted to do those dark films, so I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to be put in a box. And the only way to get out of that is to do different types of projects.”

Growing up in the Disney machine: “When I think of people’s perception of ‘the good Disney kid gone wrong,’ I think of kids who maybe have had substance abuse [issues] or been in the public eye and having mental breakdowns, and I look at the difference between them and myself. And what I think is, I was a lot shyer than I believe they were. I also didn’t enjoy the L.A. club scene, nor do I still today, so I never got myself into situations that I felt like I shouldn’t have been seen in.”

She wants to work with Woody Allen & other big-name directors: Even though she’s been acting for two decades, Hudgens feels she’s “barely scratched the surface.” And her ambition is endless: The actress would love to work with directors like Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Yorgos Lanthimos and Gaspar Noé. She’d even love to do a film with Woody Allen. “I love Woody Allen films. ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ is one of my favorite movies,” she says. When asked about mentioning Allen, given the allegations of sexual abuse against him, Hudgens said, “I don’t know him. I’ve never met him. I only know what I’ve heard. And the fact is, I love his films and I love the romantic worlds that are created within [them].”

[From The LA Times]

Serious question: is Vanessa saying that for attention? Is she trying to get some negative hype around her name? Or is she that… daft? Even if you’re a working Hollywood actress and you don’t really believe Dylan Farrow, wouldn’t you know your industry well enough to know that Woody Allen’s name and brand is too toxic at this point? I mean, I’m sure there are some big-name people who still support Woody, but very few of them (Diane Keaton and Scarlett Johansson) will show this kind of public support. Very few will actually name-check Woody Allen in an interview as someone they’re dying to work with. “I don’t know him. I’ve never met him. I only know what I’ve heard.” Like, what she’s heard is Dylan Farrow’s heart-wrenching statements. You choose to believe Dylan or you don’t. It’s not some random gossip. Anyway, I guess Vanessa got some attention.

Photos courtesy of WENN