If you caught "Grease: Live!" on FOX last Sunday night, I’m sure you enjoyed the musical treat. The adaptation of a musical classic was filled with familiar faces and spectacular talent. Admittedly, I grew particularly interested in "Grease: Live!" when I heard that Julianne Hough was to portray Sandy Olsen—who became Sandy Young for some mysterious reason—in the new rendition. However, the former Disney star Vanessa Hudgens stole the show in every way possible in her portrayal of Betty Rizzo.
Hudgens, famously known as her role as Gabriella Montez in the "High School Musical" trilogy, stormed the stage and screen in her raunchy and hilarious representation of the borderline-trampy character, who faced many inner demons. But another aspect that caused Hudgens to have the spotlight trained particularly close to her was the fact that her father, Greg Hudgens, had lost his battle to cancer just hours before the actress was set to perform.
“I’m so sad to say that last night, my daddy, Greg, passed away from stage four cancer. Thank you to everyone who kept him in your prayers.” She tweeted at 11:54 a.m. on January 31, mere hours before she would be getting transformed into Rizzo to perform. “Tonight, I do the show in his honor,” Hudgens added in a separate tweet.
Taking the stage live in front of a large audience is an extremely intimidating feat, even for seasoned actresses and performers like Hudgens. The emotional battle to be portraying such a specific kind of character when facing such a devastating loss is truly a testament to the kind of person Hudgens is. She’s committed, dedicated and driven, and instead of using this as an excuse to not do the live performance and play the sympathy card (because she certainly could have), she took this circumstance and turned it into another source of motivation for her.
We, as an audience, have watched Hudgens grow up quite literally. "High School Musical" premiered in 2006, and look how far she’s come now in every aspect. She has endless support from her fans, peers, community and family. I think I speak for all millennials when I say that Gabriella Montez will always have a special place in our hearts, and whatever project Hudgens is involved in will draw our attention. And secondly, I think I speak for all performers, when I say that I have the utmost respect and admiration for her, because there are very few people -- amateur and professional - who would have continued to perform under such circumstances.
Vanessa, we love you, and I’m sure your father is overwhelmingly proud. We all are.
