Vanessa Hudgens burst into tears when she finished filming her last High School Musical scene, because she had been through "so much" on the set of the movie.

The 19-year-old, who is dating her on-screen boyfriend Zac Efron, has played preppy Gabriella Montez in the Disney films since she was 15, and has formed close friendships with her co-stars.

And it was spotting fellow actress Ashley Tisdale break down after filming ended on High School Musical 3: Senior Year that prompted the star to shed a tear over the momentous occasion.

She tells Wenn, "It was very emotional (filming the last scene) because we've been through so much together. We've grown as actors and people and grown up in this whole High School Musical franchise

"So the last day was very emotional. Ashley started crying, I looked at her, I started crying and it was just a chain reaction. It was very sad."