My favorite subject was English or creative writing. We did poems and making a magazine and I did one on celebrities. I called it Celebrity Life Magazine. I interviewed my good friend Kaley Cuoco. I love Christmas, not just because of the presents but because of all the decorations and lights and the warmth of the season. I'm happy that i was able to experience a normal life besides show business, because it gives you something to draw from. My agent didn't want me on Disney because I'm older. But honestly, I'm not ready for older roles yet, or even the things older girls do. I am still young. I love change, and I love changing my hair. But it was strange to look in the mirror and think 'Who is this girl?' I loved my long brown curls, but most mean girls look like this, don't they?...The blond thing...it's the stereotype of a popular mean girl. I feel like people expect a lot out of girls, like you're supposed to know who you are and what you want out of life right now. Some girls know. I did. But lots of people don't know. You have to try a lot of things and not worry about what people are thinking. Fans might think I'm mean or shallow, like Sharpay, in real life, but I don't care. The mean girl is in every school. People relate to her even if they don't like her. I helped put together Sharpay's look, and I wanted it to be over-the-top, flashy, attention-getting, because that's her. But she has a heart. You never know what someone is about. People look at me and think I'm a young teen. I'm 21! I moved from New Jersey to California, so I know what it feels like being the new girl trying to figure it all out. There was this girl in the popular group who was jealous of me, even though I bought my own clothes and car-my parents didn't give them to me. I never told people in school I was an actress. I am a girl, and acting is my job. The best thing that could happen is people get to see me as the smart and nice girl again, not as the mean or ditsy character. Hollywood makes brainiac girls sort of plain but, in High School Musical, they're gorgeous. I'm glad girls get to see that it's not one or the other. They get to see that they can be pretty and smart...There's a saying - 'I have the looks but I don't have the books' - that captures the whole idea of expectations, especially in high school. You can be plain and smart, or pretty and smart. You can even be plain and dumb! You just have to be yourself. What do people see when they see me? I'm comfortable with myself, so I really don't care. People seem surprised to discover that I worked hard to be here. You never know what's going to be big. It's the fans. It was just a Disney Channel Movie and the kids made it huge... For High School Musical 2, we just wanted to have fun and make something together (On High School Musical). In real life, I'm shy. I never played a mean girl before. (On playing Sharpay, in High School Musical). I'm not into clubbing. I want to be known for my work.

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