Vanessa Hudgens to shoot documentary exploring her roots in the Philippines

The project will take a closer look at the actress' heritage by filming in her mother's home country

Vanessa Hudgens' mother moved to the US from the Philippines. Reuters

Actress Vanessa Hudgens is travelling to the Philippines for the first time to shoot a travel documentary that explores her family’s Asian heritage.

Hudgens, who is half-Filipino, will travel to her mother’s home country, with the project scheduled to begin filming later this month. According to Variety, she is expected to explore Palawan and Manila and will travel with her mother and sister. The unnamed documentary will be produced and directed by Paul Soriano, who helmed the Manny Pacquiao biopic Kid Kulafu and Filipino thriller Dukot.

“I feel like ours is such a relatable story to so many women all over the world,” Hudgens said while announcing the documentary. “The more that we can share, the more we can lift each other up.”

“We are honoured to work with Vanessa for this film project. It’s inspiring to note that with everything she has achieved in life, she wants to discover her Filipino roots and pay homage to her mother’s country. Hopefully, this opens doors for many more collaborations to come,” said Soriano.

In the past, Hudgens has spoken about being proud of her mother, who left the Philippines for the US when she was only 25.

"My mom is from the Philippines, and growing up, there weren’t really that many women who looked like me and my mom and my family on screen,” she said in a 2021 interview with Glamour. “It’s so important to share all the different stories because America is a massive melting pot. There are so many different stories that need to be told so that we are exposed to them and can have more empathy towards different people.”

She added: “As an immigrant, coming into the States and not knowing anyone, I can’t even imagine how difficult and challenging that is and what challenges she faced as a woman. I feel like that’s such a relatable story to so many women all over the world. The more that we can share, the more we can lift each other up.”

Celebrities who are part Filipino - in pictures

Olivia Rodrigo, Vanessa Hudgens and H.E.R. AFP; EPA; Alamy

Pop star Oliva Rodrigo's great grandfather immigrated to the US from the Philippines. AP

Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez to a Filipina mother and Puerto Rican father. Getty Images

Actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens's mother immigrated to the US from the Philippines when she was 25. AFP

Actor Dave Bautista's paternal grandparents are Filipino. EPA

Singer Nicole Scherzinger was born to a Filipino father and a Hawaiian mother. EPA

Grammy winner H.E.R was born Gabriella Wilson in California to a Filipina mother and African-American father. AP

Rapper Saweetie, whose real name is Diamonte Quiava Valentin Harper, has a Filipino-Chinese mother and African-American father. AFP

Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias's mother, Isabel Preysler, was born in Manila and comes from a wealthy Spanish-Filipino family. EPA

Fashion designer Monique Lhuillier was born in Manila to a Spanish-Filipino mother and French father. Reuters