Vanessa Hudgens credits her parents, Gina Guangco and Greg Hudgens, for her successful career. Their support and dedication shaped her journey in the entertainment industry.
Born on December 14, 1988, in Salinas, California, Vanessa developed a love for acting at a young age. Her upbringing in a hardworking family played a significant role in her life and career.
Vanessa Hudgens’ close-knit family
Vanessa Hudgens grew up in a close family environment. Her father, Greg, was a firefighter, while her mother, Gina, held various office jobs before choosing to stay at home to raise Vanessa and her younger sister, Stella.
“Money was a big thing,” Vanessa recalled in a 2013 interview with Marie Claire. This financial awareness pushed her parents to encourage her talents, leading them to enrol her in dance, singing, and theatre classes.
Despite their reservations about the competitiveness of the entertainment industry, Vanessa’s parents supported her dreams. “My parents gave up so much,” Vanessa shared in her Marie Claire interview. “They were very supportive of me. They gave up a lot so that I could get to where I am.”
Love story of Gina and Greg
parents have a charming love story. In a February 2011 interview, she revealed that they first connected as pen pals. “They were pen pals. My mom was in the Philippines and my father was in the States, and they wrote to each other,” she stated.
After meeting in person, they soon got married. Gina immigrated to the United States, where she and Greg built their life together. Vanessa always believed she would have a similar story. “My mom got married at 25, so I always thought I was going to be married at 25,” she said.
Vanessa Hudgens’ sister Stella Hudgens
Vanessa is the eldest of two daughters. When she was seven, her parents welcomed another baby girl, Stella Hudgens. Despite the age gap, the sisters share a close bond. When Vanessa started dating her now-husband, , she called Stella right away. “After our first weekend together, I called my sister and was like, ‘I think I just found my future husband,'” she recalled during a segment on Today.
Gina Guangco’s career challenges
Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, Gina held several office jobs. However, her job stability fluctuated due to her daughter’s emotional needs. In a 2017 interview with Marie Claire U.K., Vanessa humorously revealed that she kind of bounced around jobs.”
Vanessa’s need for attention during her early years sometimes led to challenges for her mother. “I was calling her at work way too much, because I missed her,” she said. “I would call her at work nonstop, to the point where she got fired.”
Vanessa Hudgens’ traditional upbringing
Vanessa has been open about her spiritual beliefs, but she was raised in a traditional Catholic household. “I was raised very Catholic,” she told The Cut. Her parents instilled practical financial lessons and often talked about money in a serious context.
“Money was something that wasn’t necessarily positively talked about much,” she stated in an interview with InStyle. “It was always like, ‘How are we gonna pay the bills?'”
This conservative upbringing influenced Vanessa’s perspective on life and finances. “I grew up very, very conservatively,” she shared. “Travel wasn’t really a thing. I didn’t even get on my first flight until I was 14.”
Support for Vanessa’s acting career
From an early age, Vanessa showed a passion for performing. Her parents recognized her talent and enrolled her in theatre classes. However, they were initially hesitant about her pursuing acting as a career.
“I was leery from the beginning,” Greg stated during an interview with The Washington Post in January 2015. They eventually made a pact: as long as Vanessa applied herself to school, they would support her acting dreams.
Gina began homeschooling Vanessa, allowing her to attend auditions while keeping up with her studies. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am,” Vanessa admitted in her GMA News interview. “They’ve always let me do what I wanted to with acting, singing, and dancing.”
Vanessa Hudgens’ father passes away
In January 2016, Vanessa faced a devastating loss when her father, Greg, passed away from stage 4 cancer. His death occurred just before her performance in Grease: Live. She chose to honor him by going on stage.
“Tonight, I do the show in his honor,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). She later reflected, “There was never a moment where I thought that I wouldn’t do [the show] because my dad would want me to do it.”
After losing her father, Vanessa leaned heavily on her mother for support. “She’s so strong through the hardest of times,” Vanessa said. “But she has this lightheartedness and this light that just beams out of her very being, and it’s so special.” Vanessa acknowledged the process of grieving and how her mother’s outlook on life helped her heal. “I’ve learned to follow her lead,” she stated.
A new project together
In March 2023, Vanessa announced an exciting project with her mother. They traveled to the Philippines to film a documentary that shows their close relationship and Gina’s experiences as an immigrant.
“I can’t even imagine how difficult and challenging that is and what challenges she faced as a woman,” Vanessa shared in an interview with Glamour U.K.. The documentary aims to shed light on their family story, inspiring many women worldwide.
Welcoming a new generation
In July 2024, Gina became a grandmother when Vanessa and her husband, Cole Tucker, welcomed their first child. Vanessa continues to celebrate her parents’ influence on her life and career, showing that their love and support will always be a part of her journey.