Vanessa Hudgens Talks Nude Photo Scandals

She's done the best that she can to navigate celebrity life after shooting to stardom thanks to "High School Musical," and Vanessa Hudgens has opened up about challenges she's faced along the way.

Addressing her nude photo debacles in an interview with the LA Times, the 22-year-old said, "It's just silly because I'm a very present person, and that's the thing that has been so in the past."

Hudgens continued, "The fact that somebody keeps bringing up the past is just selfish. I mean, it sucks. I already released a statement the first time it happened. It's just unfortunate that it keeps reminding people about the past and not the present."

As for carving a path for herself now that she's matured past the Disney days, Vanessa said, "You really have to stay strong, because times get tough. Especially in this business. It's a dog-eat-dog world."

The brunette beauty added, "There's so many amazing actresses who got taken advantage of. Someone like Natalie Wood, one of my idols — who knows what happened to her? She was on a boat that was mysteriously in the water, and now she's dead. A lot of women get walked all over on by not standing up for themselves, and that's just not what I'm about. I'm figuring myself out now as a young adult more than I ever have. It's like my eyes are opening and I'm awakening to controlling my future."