Since the release of her studio albums and the "High School Musical" franchise, Hudgens has focused on her acting career. She has appeared in the films "Bandslam" (2009), "Beastly," "Sucker Punch" (both 2011), ', "Spring Breakers" (both 2012), "The Princess Switch," "Second Act" (both 2018), and "Bad Boys for Life" (2020). Hudgens played the role of Emily Locke in the NBC series "Powerless" (2017). She also played the title role in the Broadway musical "Gigi" (2015) and had roles in two of Fox’s live musical productions: Rizzo in ' (2016) and Maureen Johnson in "" (2019).