Vanessa Hudgens wants women in Hollywood to "look out for each other".
The 31-year-old actress has claimed she has been spoken to in "ways that are not appropriate" by men in the industry in the past, but has always managed to stick up for herself and has "walked away" when she’s been made to feel "uncomfortable".
And with the rise of the #MeToo movement, the star wants to see more actresses sticking up for one another when it comes to sexual misconduct, because she says the industry is "tough", especially when you feel alone.
She said: "I have been talked to in ways that are not appropriate. I have been in situations where I’ve been talked to in inappropriate ways, but right then, in that moment, I was the person to just say, ‘No. Why would you say that? You’re completely out of line.’ I’m the type of person in any situation, whether it’s an audition or in work, if I feel uncomfortable, I’m going to walk away or let that person know they’re making me feel uncomfortable. Then, if they don’t respect that, they can go f**k off. If someone doesn’t like that, literally they can f**k off.
"It’s important to look out for each other, especially in this industry, and realise it’s tough. It’s hard enough, nobody needs to make it harder."
Although the ‘Princess Switch’ star hasn’t been the subject of sexual harassment in her workplace, she did have her privacy breached in 2007 when her private pictures leaked onto the internet.
Vanessa says the experience was "really traumatising".
Speaking to the February issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, she said: "It was a really traumatising thing for me. It’s really f***ed up that people feel like they are entitled enough to share something that personal with the world.
"As an actor, you completely lose all grip of your own privacy and it’s really sad. It feels like that shouldn’t be the case, but unfortunately if enough people are interested, they’re going to do everything they can to get to know as much about you as they can, which is flattering, I guess, but then people take it too far and end up divulging things that should be personal. I think that is because there’s a disconnect when you see your favourite actress on the screen, and you see them now on your TV in your homes, and you can watch them whenever you want. There’s almost – I don’t want to say lack of respect because that sounds negative – but it just makes you feel like you know them even though you don’t."
Vanessa Hudgens urges women to ‘look out for each other’
