Vanessa Hudgens: Pals Defend Her Against the Hate

Bandslam costars say its time to leave the young starlet alone

The Vanessa Hudgens haters have to stop. Seriously, why is there so much animosity toward the young High School Musical star?

"It's so totally uncool," says Charlie Saxton, one of Hudgens' costars in Bandslam. "It's like, come on. Give me a break.

"She's such a sweet person, such a nice girl," added Charlie, who also plays Thomas Jane's son in HBO's Hung. "She really doesn't deserve all the negativity that she's getting."

Even so, Saxton said Hudgens is keeping it together…

She honored her commitment to attend last week's L.A. premiere of Bandslam even though more nude photos of her were leaked just the day before the festivities.

"She held her high, was laughing and smiling, being her typical happy self," Saxton said. "Good for her."

Aly Michalka, of Aly & AJ, who is another Bandslam costar, thinks folks may be a bit envious of Hudgens because her boyfriend is you-know-who.

"I think that it's about people being hard on people just to be hard on them," Aly said. "It's hard to avoid that sometimes…I think it really is based on that and I think maybe her being with Zac."

Make sure to come back here later on because I'll have more from Aly for ya. Find out if she's ready to go nude for a movie!

(Originally published on August 13, 2009, at 5:32 p.m. PT)