“I thought (Jessi) was such a complex character that I really could sink my teeth into.
I gave it my all.
I tried my hardest,” Gomez reflects.
Selena Gomez in ‘Emilia Pérez’.PAGE 114 - WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS - PATHÉ FILMS - FRANCE 2 CINÉMA
But, she says, she never imagined she would actually get the job.
“What’s really difficult about my position is that I am really surrounded by predominantly white English-speaking people.
I think it’s about what my last name has always meant to me: it’s my family.
Selena Gomez in ‘Emilia Pérez’.Shanna Besson/PAGE 114 - WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS - PATHÉ FILMS - FRANCE 2 CINÉMA
It’s everything that’s a part of me.”
It is something that I feel I’ve gotten better at.
“It was really nice to get lost in the character.
Selena Gomez in ‘Emilia Pérez’.PAGE 114 - WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS - PATHÉ FILMS - FRANCE 2 CINÉMA
I’ve never danced that way.
I’ve never had those kind of experiences.
Plus, Zoe needed to give me tips because that girl can dance.”
With wide eyes, Gomez sits back, carefully musing before admitting the idea “terrifies” her.
She adds, “I don’t know if I’m ready for something like that.
It isn’t something that I’m saying no to.
One thing she is definitely not saying no to: more Spanish language roles.
“I think I’ll always want to do something, and this was just a taste of it.
I was so excited, and the result was life-giving.
I would love that.
The more I learn, the better it is for my soul.”
Emilia Perezis now streaming on Netflix.
