Vanessa Hudgens in Gimme Shelter - H 2013
Day 28 FilmsHigh School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens strays even further from her Disney Channel persona in the first trailer for Gimme Shelter.
In the Roadside Attractions film, set to hit theaters Jan. 24, Hudgens plays a pregnant homeless teenager who is forced to run away from her abusive mother (Rosario Dawson) and is turned away by her rich father (Brendan Fraser) before she ends up staying in a suburban shelter for homeless teenagers, where she finds her true family.
PHOTOS: Hollywood’s 19 Most Dramatic Big-Screen Transformations
Hudgens dramatically altered her appearance for the role, cutting her hair and sporting a lip ring and tattoos. The trailer also seems to suggest that she changed her voice as well, relying on a deeper sound.
The clip shows her fighting with her mother, who won’t let her daughter stay in the shelter and wants to give her a second chance, but Hudgens remains defiant. She also pleads for her father to give her a place to stay, but after he tells her that “it’s clear you are not ready to assume the responsibility of motherhood,” she runs away from him, too.
PHOTOS: The 20 Most Dramatic Child Star Transformations
The trailer also offers a glimpse of her interactions with James Earl Jones‘ compassionate stranger, who tells her, “Don’t make your child suffer because you’re suffering.”
The movie is based on true events and was written and directed by Ron Krauss.
