At 22 years old, Ashley Tisdale has it pretty good.  She has been acting since the age of 3 and kicked her career into high gear when she landed the role of Sharpay Evans in Disney's High School Musical in 2006.  Prior to that, she had already been on her young fan's radar for her work on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.  In the last year, she has recorded a hit album and landed roles in feature films.  She never finds herself in the tabloids and has stayed grounded and true to herself over the years.  Recently, she talked about the secret to her success and it may not be what you would assume.  Her answer?  Dying her hair blonde.

"It suits my personality. I guess I was a brunette with a blonde personality. I have been blonde for a while now,” Tisdale told the Sunday Mail, a British publication. "At first it was really shocking and I didn't know what to think, it felt like another person in the mirror. But now I am comfortable with it. Blondes aren't dumb. I am smart and I don't think all of us are ditzy."

Parents and fans alike have respected Tisdale over the years for her high moral values.  She says that is certainly no Britney or Lindsay.  "I want to be known for the work I do and not what I do and where I go. Some people do like the attention, they do like the paparazzi following them and being in tabloids all the time,” she said. "I don't want media photographers pestering me all the time."

When not working on a hit Disney show or movie, Tisdale says she enjoys being an average young woman. "I like to hang out with my family and friends, go to the movies or watch TV and play with my dog. I also like to have manicures and pedicures and to work out and do yoga at the gym because it takes the stress away,” she said.

In preparation to play Sharpay Evans in High School Musical, the actress said she did a little research. “I didn't look at old movies but I did watch Rachel McAdams in the hit film Mean Girls,” she admitted. “I loved her character because you loved to hate her." She is now looking forward to High School Musical 3 and even offered some suggestions for her character’s storyline. She told the Sunday Mail, "Sharpay is actually quite sad and I hope in High School Musical 3 that she finally finds love.”  We'll find out when the movie hits theaters this October!


- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: Daily Mail
(Image courtesy of Yahoo! TV)