It takes one look at Miley Cyrus to see how becoming a child star can completely distort a star’s potential to be taken seriously. But being a Disney child isn’t a death sentence, as Vanessa Hudgens proves.

Vanessa Hudgens Gimme ShelterVanessa Hudgens in Gimme Shelter

The 'High School Musical' star hasn’t employed dramatic tactics to get noticed, nor has she exploited her sexuality to prove that she’s an adult. Instead, she’s flirted with some bridge roles, before stepping up with Spring Breakers – a coming of age film that the critics didn’t see coming.

Watch the trailer for Gimme Shelter here

Now, she enjoys the starring role in Gimme Shelter, playing Apple – a pregnant teenager who runs away from a broken home to find her rich, gated-community, upper-middle class, Wall Street businessman father. As the tagline goes, she had to leave home to find her family.

Next page: Hudgens on finding serious roles + the film's poster