Selena Gomez came to Atlanta this week to promote her new movie Monte Carlo hitting theaters July 1.
Grace (Selena Gomez) is an ordinary girl who becomes an accidental princess when a family summer trip to Paris turns into the fantasy of a lifetime. Living like royalty, Grace, along with her two best friends, discovers who she really is – by assuming another person’s identity.
Selena was just as sweet as can be an so mature for her age (18). Here are some of the questions that we asked her to share about herself and her new movie.
What excited you most about shooting this movie. Was it the Clothes, the locations?
~Everything, It’s every girls dream
You had to assume two very different personalities. Was it difficult to switch back and forth between the socialite Cordiela and Grace?
~It was actually very easy, which is the scariest thing. It was hard to do it when it was in the same scene.
Do you think that if had you not been an actress, would your mother have let you go on a trip like this?
~Probably, my Mom is one of those that wants me to go live my life. I’m not that way though so she probably would have had to force me to go.
When you were filming in places like Paris did they know you were there, making it hard to see the sights?
~We filmed most of the movie in Hungary and not a lot of people knew the cast so it was nice to be able to walk around.
Did the three of you bond and end up being the Three Musketeers during filming?
~Yes that’s what they called us actually! I was intimidated at first, I was a little nervous. They were doing older shows I thought I was going to be like the little kid but they took me under their wing and were very sweet to me. They treated me like I was one of them and we spent every second together. Weekends we went to the beaches, went to dinner and we would have sleep overs and had a great time. It was really fun.
The clothes are amazing, just to get ready for the party scene took several hours. Can you tell me a little about what that was like?
~That was awful! The dress that I’m wearing in the poster was THAT dress and we had to shoot at night for that. We started hair and makeup at 6pm and wouldn’t be on set until 10pm because they wanted to wait until it was completely dark. I was exhausted. I just wanted to lean my head on Leighton but I couldn’t because we would mess it up.
What kind of part would you like to play. Something that you think will help your career?
~ Well I think that I’m in a very crucial place right now. I’m in a transition phase where I’ve gained an incredible audience but at the same time when they are filming a Leonardo DeCaprio movie they aren’t thinking about Selena Gomez and I’m OK with that – I’m aware of that. But that’s good for me because I can start from the bottom and work my way and gain the respect from people so I just want to choose roles that display what I can do but at the same time keep the audience that gave me my job. Its all about taking baby steps.
How has the transition been for you, was it hard for you or have you learned from anyone else that has done the same transition?
~I’m terrified and I’m scared because I could easily never work again. My favorite actress is Rachel MacAdams. I think she’s so beautiful and so classy and I love the roles that she’s chosen. I look up to people like that on how they choose the roles and I just kinda take it day by day, fighting for roles and hoping for the best.
Well you are doing a great job!
~Thanks
In the movie you play a small town girl from Texas that takes on this life of someone famous. Do you ever wish for a time where you can reverse this?
~No, because then I’d be saying that I wish I didn’t have the things that I have. I do know that it does get hard with people constantly trying to invade certain parts of my life that I’m not comfortable with sharing or I don’t understand but ultimately at the end of the day I get to do what I love and that’s more important.
Your “Who Says” Video, it talks to a lot of the girls that are in middle school/late elementary school, about being yourself. And it addresses things like body image. Could you talk a little bit about it?
~I’m 18, I don’t know exactly who I am either. I just feel like with the internet, Twitter, Facebook and being in school, it’s just gotten a lot harder. It really makes me sad to see that some of the input out there feels like they want to be that way because thats what they think cool is. I have done my best to try be the best person I can be but I’m also human and I make mistakes and I’m learning. Ultimately I try to put messages out there like the song Who Says because its a song that every body needs, not just that audience but everybody kinda goes through the emotions. I surround myself with good people. I think that’s the key of it. I can tell you one thing. I was not cool in school. In middle school I wore ribbons in my hair that matched my t-shirt everyday and I sat at the back of class.
How has life been in this role as a teenager on the road, starting from Barney moving to Disney and now breaking away to do movies?
~Fun, it really has been fun. I’ve learned a lot and its fun to travel. I’ve grown a lot. I’m enjoying it.
In the horse riding polo scenes did you have a double to do those scenes?
~Let me tell you about that. In the script I was actually supposed to be good at polo. I did 2 weeks of intense training and I did so bad that the rewrote it in the script so that I wasn’t good at it. It became a lot funnier.
How was it working with Cory Monteith from Glee? Did he ever break out into song on the set?
~No, Leighton and I would actually be the ones singing and he’d tell us to shut up because he was over singing. He was so awesome. Very charismatic. He added such a cute quirky thing to his character. He had to have this southern accent which was cute because he’s Canadian so it was so weird for him. But he was so sweet and nice. A true gentleman.
What was your favorite scene in the movie?
~With Katie, I crawl in the bed with her and have a heart to heart moment. It was great for me to film because it was a sweet moment and that’s where I really connected with her.
Does your Mom usually travel with you?
~Yes
Is it nice having her around to help?
~Yes of course because she kinda keeps me in line. It’s nice in a world of not really knowing people and going to places, especially when I shot in Europe because I was only 17 when I shot the film so I was a little nervous. She actually in the other room right now so its nice to have her with me. Obviously shes family.
When you’re 80 years old and retiring what do you want to look back on your career and see?
~I want to see that I made projects that affected people in a good way and that made people feel good. Maybe have an Oscar! A little wishful thinking but that would be nice.
How do you stay grounded in Hollywood when you see all these teen kinda go off the railing?
~Momma! My Mom keeps me in line. She knows me better than anybody. Shes the one that made me realize that I’m not bigger or less than anyone.
Monte Carlo opens in theaters July 1.