She’s managed to make the jump from Disney darling to bona fide thespian, and Vanessa Hudgens is using her celebrity to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.

During her exclusive interview with GossipCenter at the 2nd Annual ULTA Beauty Donate With a Kiss shindig last night (October 3), the “Spring Breakers” babe explained that she can’t help but get involved with the cause.

Hudgens noted, “It’s very relevant. With research we can have answers. One out of eight women are going to have breast cancer and that’s a very shocking and scary number. And there’s so much we can do with research to prevent this. It’s a good thing to support.”

When she’s not working on such serious causes Vanessa loves to let loose- like her recent performance at Bootsy Bellows! “It was so much fun. I love performing. I grew up doing musical theatre, the stage is my home. To be up there with my best friends, singing songs that we love and just supporting them, it was an amazing experience. I loved it.”

And while many ladies her age may dream of working alongside traditional hunks like Brad Pitt or Bradley Cooper, Vanessa’s choice is much more mysterious- “Daniel Day-Lewis.”

Looking to de-clutter her crazy life, the “Bandslam” babe confessed she keeps her handbag sparsely populated- “You will find lip gloss, a phone, a credit card and a key. I’m a simple girl.”

Meanwhile, Vanessa debunked the myth that on-camera love scenes are anything other than work. “It’s definitely planned out in advance. You have to put on the lipstick that doesn’t move or you wipe off the lip gloss, it’s very strategic. It’s not romantic.”

As she looks ahead, Miss Hudgens sees a brief respite in her future. “I’m gonna enjoy. Gonna enjoy fall, gonna enjoy a little time off. I just finished up a new movie called ‘Kitchen Sink.’ It was my first comedy that I got to do and I had an amazing time doing it… and ‘Machete’ comes out very soon, which I have a little cameo in. I haven’t even seen it, so I will be checking that out.”