NPH Defends Casting Vanessa Hudgens for 'Rent'

Celebrity

Neil Patrick Harris who will direct the musical production said the actress is 'absolutely amazing' and has a good working ethic.

June 8, 2010

AceShowbiz - Neil Patrick Harris has defended his decision to cast Vanessa Hudgens in his upcoming stage directorial debut "Rent", insisting she will be "absolutely amazing" in the role. The former High School Musical star is set to play 19-year-old Mimi, a troubled HIV-positive stripper, in the musical when it hits the Hollywood Bowl for three nights this summer.

Harris, who starred in the Los Angeles production of "Rent" 1997, admits he is stunned by the backlash he's received from the play's cult fans, but he's adamant Hudgens, 21, is perfect for the part. He says, "I'm excited about Vanessa Hudgens. Everybody has gotten real prickly about it (since) I announced it. I don't know (why). I think she's amazing. Big RENT fanatics were like, 'Blasphemy! That's an outrage!' "

Editors' Pick

"I worked with Vanessa in a movie called Beastly that's coming out soon and I really liked her work ethic. She came in (to audition) and sang well... She's going to be absolutely amazing."

About This Article

AI-Assisted Content: This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence technology under human editorial oversight. Our editorial team reviews and verifies all AI-generated content for accuracy.

Sources: Information in this article may be aggregated from publicly available sources including press releases, news agencies, and entertainment industry sources. We provide attribution where applicable and strive to ensure factual accuracy.

Learn More: For details about our editorial standards and practices, visit our Editorial Standards page.

Contact: Questions or concerns? Email us at [email protected]

Follow AceShowbiz.com @ Google News