Had to destroy my own confidence for movie role: Hudgens

London: `High School Musical` star Vanessa Hudgens says she had to rebuild her self-esteem after taking her role as a pregnant tomboy in new movie `Gimme Shelter`.

The 23-year-old actress underwent a dramatic transformation to play Apple Bailey in the film, hacking off her hair and sporting fake piercings. She also forced herself to feel "insecure" for three months during the shoot but her intense preparations left her struggling to regain her confidence when the cameras stopped rolling, Daily Star reported. "Apple is a really insecure character, so I was basically telling myself I was a piece of dumb woman for three months and it really affected me. "After filming was finished, it took me a long time to get out of that way of thinking. I completely lost myself for a while," she said. PTI