Not even a pandemic can dampen the Christmas spirit of the Filipinos! Just last week, our kababayan, Fil-Am Hollywood star Vanessa Hudgens hit it off with her latest flick “The Princess Switch: Switched Again,” the sequel to her 2018 hit. Yes, it is number one again on Netflix over the weekend, solidifying the strong holiday spirit we Filipinos have.

We spoke with Vanessa and she shared how excited she was to offer such a festive and light flick despite the gloomy year more than most had.

“It’s a fun movie that I am so grateful for because I also came on as a producer, and create a whole new character. I am just so excited to share it with the world because it has been a tough year and I feel like it is a really beautiful escape and a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit.”

If you enjoyed Vanessa play Duchess Margaret and Stacy, wait until you meet their third doppelganger Fiona! She is the cousin of the Duchess who is a known to be the extravagant party girl of their royal family.

Vanessa was surprised with this twist, “They could not get enough with just two of me so they wanted a third of me… They actually came to me with that idea and I first said you are all are crazy, good luck with that, but when I read the script I was like, ‘Oh hey! This is fun’.”

Vanessa adds, “The most fun is definitely Fiona, because I am very dramatic myself and I wanted Fiona to be the biggest drama queen of all time so I really just let that loose and be just as over the top as possible and just rely on my director Mike [Rhol] to reel me in if I go too far but it all worked out.”

Vanessa chose to do a project that showcases over the top Christmas spirit as it means so much more to the audience during a season such as this.

“It’s really special to be a part of people’s lights in and to be let into their homes via the television and to bring families together and have families sit together and go on a journey together. I think that is really beautiful.”

If you all do not know yet, Vanessa grew up in a semi-Filipino household as she was raised by her pure Filipina mother. She did remember the best holidays during her childhood but though she cannot recall a certain tradition she had with her family during the season, what she misses most is the food she devoured while growing up.

“I miss adobo, lumpia, pancit. I ate those all in our house during my childhood.”

Vanessa is on a plant based diet for years now that is why she is busy on the lookout for plant based Filipino alternatives in Hollywood.