'The Masked Singer' winner Vanessa Hudgens on why she's keeping her pregnancy 'really private'
Vanessa Hudgens is expecting her first child with MLB player Cole Tucker, and has tried to keep her pregnancy private.
Vanessa Hudgens knows how to keep a secret.
The actress won "The Masked Singer" on FOX on Wednesday night, admitting that although it was hard to keep everything behind the scenes quiet, she loved the anonymity of performing behind the mask.
"It is so much more fulfilling when you’re acknowledged for purely your talent than celebrity," she told Fox News Digital. "Because I feel like celebrity is a big thing these days, especially with social media. But talent should come first because it’s so much more fulfilling."
Taking home the Golden Mask trophy proved to be a real high point for Hudgens, who began her career with her breakout role in "High School Musical."
Vanessa Hudgens competed on season 11 of "The Masked Singer" and took home the Golden Mask trophy. (Michael Becker / FOX)
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"Personally, it’s really high up there because it had nothing to do with ‘Vanessa Hudgens’ the celebrity [and] what comes with a name," she said of where the accolade ranks in her life. "It had everything to do with what I personally bring to the table on the inside with my soul and my talent. So being awarded for literally what’s on the inside, it’s the most beautiful thing."
But one thing she’s been happy to keep to herself has been her pregnancy with MLB star, husband Cole Tucker.
Hudgens told Fox News Digital she's focused on keeping much of her pregnancy private because "I feel like, as an actor, you share so much of yourself." (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
"My pregnancy is something that I’ve kept really private, which has been a really nice change because I feel like, as an actor, you share so much of yourself," she told Fox News Digital.
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Hudgens debuted her baby bump at the Oscars in March, and before that, she was filming "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence while still early in her pregnancy.
"We actually had done most of the stunt work before we came back for the reshoots. But you know, when there’s a will, there’s a way, and with productions they always figure things out," she told Fox News Digital with a laugh.
Hudgens debuted her baby bump at the Oscars in March. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Hudgens joins the franchise for the fourth installment, due out June 5, as a tech expert.
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"I feel like the thing ‘Bad Boys’ has always given its audience is big action, big comedy, and this movie does not disappoint," she said. "It really gives you the relationship that we all know and love between Will and Martin’s characters, that sympatico that they have with each other is so insane and unique and beautiful. And it really is always just bigger and better, and I think that everyone’s really going to enjoy it."
Hudgens said "Bad Boys: Ride or Die," starring Will Smith, left, and Martin Lawrence, "does not disappoint." (Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)
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Meanwhile, Hudgens is still basking in the glow of her "Masked Singer" win.
"It was incredible. It was really amazing. And it ended up being so much more profound than I thought it would," she said.
"It’s really rare in all of my years of being in Hollywood do I have the opportunity to go into a job anonymous. I am an absolute goof and I crack myself up, and you give me the freedom to do so without people knowing who I am and I am just going to live my best life. Let alone do something that I really, really love and have enjoyed doing for decades now, just being on a stage and performing, and so being able to take home the win, it just, it really touched my heart."
Hudgens appeared as the Goldfish during season 11, and beat out other stars like Kevin Hart, Jenifer Lewis, Corey Feldman, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and Chrissy Metz.
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Performing as the Goldfish wasn't difficult, despite the costume's multiple layers and elements.
"The costume itself was really impressive. I was genuinely blown away by the artistry that was brought to the table behind the scenes by the costume department. My costume alone was about… six layers to put it all together, and then the mask itself is like a piece of art. It was really, really, incredible to see it go from sketch to actuality," she said.
The Goldfish costume was "six layers," according to Hudgens, and she said she was "blown away by the artistry" of it. (Michael Becker / FOX)
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And while Hudgens has kept her pregnancy and other details of her personal life more private, she admitted she was hoping to connect with her fellow contestants behind the scenes.
"I genuinely was trying to get production to change their ways and was, like, ‘You know, I think that it would be a really beautiful collaborative experience for the contestants if you let them know who each other is, because we’re all going through this and can lean on each other, and what a beautiful community that would create!’ And they were like, ‘Nope,’ and I was like OK, never mind," she said with a laugh.
Hudgens also admitted she "really tried to follow along and take in the clues and listen to their voices, but I did not get a single thing correct."
The 35-year-old’s collaborative spirit translated to her non-competitive approach to the show, instead focusing on delivering something special for her fans and for herself.
Hudgens said her fans "have wanted more music" from her, so performing on "The Masked Singer" was a way to make them and herself proud. (Michael Becker / FOX)
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"I honestly went into it not thinking it to be a competition. I was like, my fans have wanted more music… any kind of vocals for me, I’m going to kind of do this for them," Hudgens said. "I’m also the hardest critic on myself, I’m going to be the toughest critic on myself out of everyone, so I’m just going to try to make myself proud, make them proud, do my best and see what comes from that."
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