Tank: Just Drew

By Devorah rose PhotograPhy By gian anDrea Di stefano

A WAY TO BE, THE CHARMS OF GIGI, ANDACCIDENTAL NEOFEMINISM

F E A T U R E S

For many, the name Vanessa Hudgens is synonymous with the idea of a world where all problems are announced in pitch-

perfect song before miraculously evaporating.And yet while my little sister knows Vanessa as Disney’s

modern Pollyanna, my experience is the polar opposite. My first impressions of this actress came from two gritty, gut-twisting dramas — The Frozen Ground and Gimme Shelter. I think of Vanessa Hudgens as a committed actress who chooses vanity-free roles that explore tough issues like abandonment, the exploitation of minors, mental abuse, and prostitution (to name a few). On a cold night in May, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from her title role in the Broadway revival of the musical Gigi. Would she bring any of the painful intensity of the roles I had seen her in, or would her acting be more similar to the Disney princess perfection my sister speaks of? And more important, who exactly is this woman who can play such extremes?

Before I could seek answers to the multitude of questions tumbling through my mind, the curtain rose and I was struck by the impeccable set design: romantic silhouettes of Paris cap-

ture a city brimming with romance. And so the story of Gigi begins. The tale centers around a teenage girl being groomed to be a courtesan in the turn of twentieth-century Paris. There have been several adaptations of Collette’s 1945 novella, Gigi: the French 1948 movie, the 1951 play starring Audrey Hep-burn, the 1958 movie musical starring Leslie Caron, the 1973 Broadway musical starring Karin Wolfe, and now there is Gigi’s most recent reincarnation featuring a free spirited millennial Vanessa Hudgens. When Vanessa steps onto the stage, she ex-udes confidence and jollity. It’s very obvious she is enjoying herself with every step and skip. It’s charming to see someone so happily connected to her art. In fact, the entire cast’s fervor and passion make it a thrilling production to watch.

In every scene, Gigi blooms and something about the role or perhaps the way Vanessa confidently commits to the part emanates a sense of female empowerment. Backstage, Vanes-sa confirms that “Gigi is in a world where society has precon-ceived ideas of what she will become and that’s not who she wants to be. She stands up for herself and that’s such an amaz-ing lesson.” In a room filled with many young female fans,

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that’s an important and centering message. Vanessa continues, “So many times I feel like young women see other women be-ing a specific way or have parents telling them they have to be a specific way. It makes them feel trapped. But it doesn’t have to be like that.” Vanessa’s role, as well as her real self, are both vocal about the importance of personal strength. She moves on to say, “You were put on Earth because you are your own individual and no one else can be you. You have your own spe-cial ideas and you are your own unique self. You need to share that with the world; otherwise, you are depriving yourself as well as depriving the world of who you are. It’s important to remind people to make their own decisions. You only live your life once, so make sure you do it in a way you aren’t going to regret.”

Vanessa sits in front of a long dressing table facing a classic theatrical mirror framed in bulbs. I notice a black and white Audrey Hepburn headshot affixed to the mirror’s upper left corner. When I point it out, Vanessa responds, “She is one of those classic iconic women who worked so hard and I love having her up there because I just look in her eyes and say You are so spectacular. You did everything with such elegance and such grace. You were respected and you worked your ass off.” Vanessa laughs deeply, saying, “Audrey is staring down at me every night say-

ing, Work hard girl.”From cheerful to pensive, Vanessa grows a bit serious be-

fore she continues, “I love the way women were looked at in those times — how glamorous and beautiful they were . . . almost delicate in a way. Women were very put together back then. I think it’s a thing that is fading away. It’s really sad. I feel that womanhood at its purest, when a woman is being a woman, is elegant and proud — an individual strong and re-spected. The fact that I get to play a woman like that in Gigi is something I am so proud of. I hope that women who come to see the show are inspired by it and that it leaves them wanting to find that Old World feminine class for themselves.”

Vanessa seems to have discovered more than Old World femininity in her role: true fulfillment. “I put together a list when I was sixteen years old and to be on Broadway was one of the first things I put down,” Vanessa says. And although her Broadway schedule is grueling she says it’s “draining and exhausting but doing what you love charges you. Being fo-cused and experiencing a flow is something that I think all humans crave. So when you do experience it then it really fuels you.” Vanessa’s large brown eyes widen and then she nods, continuing her thought, “The only way I think one can have fulfillment is by doing what you love, pushing yourself, and

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Silver dress: ValentinaKova choker: Vanessa's own Thin gold bands: TulestePinky finger: Vanessa’s own

taking risks. Whether you fail miserably or succeed, at least you would have done it.” She confesses, “I will have shows that feel like the worst show ever and then I might get a standing ovation. We are all our worst critics. At the end of the day, I’m doing my best and as long as I’m doing that I can never be too upset with myself.” And then I finally see it: traces of the intense, deeply thoughtful Vanessa I had seen in The Frozen Ground and Gimme Shelter seem to surface. And so I ask her about those roles. Before coming to see Gigi, I had watched a few interviews that had to do with these movies and Vanessa had confessed that the roles were so engrossing it was actually hard to come back to her true self.

“I feel like as humans we are only able to fill our minds with so much. When you focus on something, you are flooding yourself with all these different thoughts, thoughts that your character is having and you kind of lose yourself for that time period. The real you is still there but it’s muddled in there with your character. And I normally stay there. When I’m doing Gigi — this is actually why I love doing the show so much — I feel like it is so truly who I am. It really is me at my happiest. So I get to live my life but have a bit of that really carefree en-ergy with me during the entire duration of the show. It makes the experience a lot of fun.”

As fun as a Broadway musical may be, it requires true skill because unlike Disney’s High School Musical, there are no re-takes, color corrections, or a multitude of editors poring over each take. Gigi may not require the darkness or raw emotional intensity of The Frozen Ground or Gimme Shelter, but it’s a good middle ground between two extremes. And although Vanessa’s comfort zone seems to be among spritely and whimsical char-acters, I hope she continues to explore both the theater as well as the darker side of film. Only time will tell. Next up for the lovely chanteuse: she will be staring in Fox’s remake of Grease as the iconic bad girl Rizzo.

F E A T U R E S

Creative direction and concept: Devorah Rose and Gian Andrea di StefanoPhotography: Gian Andrea di Stefano

Grooming: Bruce WayneFashion styling: Elle Werlin

A very special thanks to Jill Fritzo and her incredible team at PMK. Much obliged to Caitlin Bailey.

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Top: IndahBottoms: Brunello Cucinelli Pinky ring: Vanessas ownBangle: LHN Jewelry

Scarf: Mega Mega/AishNecklace: Alison LouRings: AlibiTank: Just DrewLong necklace: AlibiScissor Necklace: Alibi

Dress: Baja EastRings: Alison LouNecklaces: Alibi

Top: IndahBottoms: Brunello Cucinelli Rings: Vanessa's ownNecklace: AlibiBangle:LHN

Dress: Maryam Nassir ZadehBee necklace: Alison LouScissor necklace: Alibi

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Slip: Love & libertyNecklaces: AlibiThin gold bands: Tuleste

Slip: Love & LibertyBracelet: Alison Loularge gold middle finger: Alison LouSemi Circle Rings: AlibiThin gold bands: Tulestepinky rings: Vanessas own