Kiss And Tell Album
A Year Without Rain
Choice TV Show: Comedy
Choice TV Actress: Comedy
Choice Group: Selena Gomez & The Scene
It’s rare you meet a 17 year old with more poise and professionalism than your average adult, but that’s definitely the case when we meet Selena Gomez. Surrounded by a whirlwind of stylists, PRs and her mum and step-dad (who, we’re told, accompany her on most things), she sits calmly in the make-up artist’s chair, politely joining in with the chatter going on around her.
At a petite size 6 and with flawless skin and hair (‘oh, it’s extensions’), she looks as perfect as a doll. And there’s no doubting this girl knows how to handle the attention. Maybe it’s because she’s been a professional actress since she was seven, maybe it’s a result of faultless Disney media training, or maybe she was just born for this role…
Already a huge star in the States following the success of Disney’s Wizards Of Waverly Place, and with a first album that debuted in the UK charts at number 10, working with the media is nothing new to her. It’s only in unguarded moments that she gives away the fact she’s really just a teenage girl, squealing in delight when the stylist reveals her outfit – ‘Polka dots! I just bought something with polka dots’ – or getting over-excited about the huge buckets of KFC that arrive (‘Oh my God, it’s the best food in the WORLD!’).
Settling down for our chat, she sits on the sofa picking the crispy skin off her chicken and focuses on our questions in a way many older and more experienced celebs might take note of. But it seems she’s always been ahead of her age: ‘I was seven when I first wanted to be a performer. My mum was an actress and I loved watching her run her lines. Being an only child, I had to find ways to entertain myself and I used to put on little plays. Eventually, I asked my mum if I could be an actress and of course she supported me and helped me achieve that.’
Selena doesn’t seem surprised when we point out it’s unusual to know what you want to do at such a young age. ‘I think a lot of kids that age are like, “I want to be an astronaut. I want to do this or that”, but I knew that’s what I really wanted to do. I think you can be a lot more fearless with those decisions when you’re younger. My mum kept me in school as long as possible, so I got that kind of normality growing up. Actually, a lot of the kids made fun of me because my first job was on a kids’ show they all watched, Barney And Friends, but I still enjoyed acting, I didn’t let that stop me.’
Selena’s mum Mandy looks so young it isn’t until we’re introduced towards the end of the shoot that we realise who she is. Trendily dressed and looking no older than late 20s (‘She’d love it if you told her that,’ Selena exclaims), we’d assumed she was Selena’s PA. Other than a few shared jokey comments, mother and daughter barely seem to interact during the shoot. We get the impression that just like Selena, Mandy has seen this all before.
During the shoot Selena leans back provocatively against a wall, with her arms above her head. Her step-father angrily clears his throat. Picking up on the signal, Selena looks up and asks him what he’s thinking. ‘I’ll tell you later,’ he replies darkly. It might seem like an over-reaction, but her mum tells us when Selena was only 15, a photographer tried to persuade her to crawl over a bed towards the camera ‘like a cat’. We can imagine there’s no shortage of people ready to exploit the young star, and with the recent Miley Cyrus/Vanity Fair ‘topless’ scandal, they can’t be too careful about the message they’re sending.
Making sure all pictures taken of her are squeaky clean and Disney-audience appropriate is just one of the challenges of being a teenager in the public eye. Selena, who’s worn a purity ring since she was 12 (to demonstrate her intention not to have sex until she’s married), has also had to deal with her on/off relationship with Miley Cyrus’s ex Nick Jonas (of hit US band The Jonas Brothers) being reported in detail.
The paparazzi are now a regular fixture in her life. ‘Whenever I go out of town they follow me, when I’m at home in LA sometimes they give me space. I don’t like it at all, but it comes with the job. I’m pretty boring for a teenager really, I just like to do normal things and I’m not into the partying scene. My job’s so crazy that in my free time I just like to stay in and watch movies.’
But she’s not naïve about the fate of other teenage stars. ‘For other people it’s a little crazier than it is for me. I think the bigger you are, the harder it gets to maintain some kind of normality.’
Modest and professional, we’re liking Selena more and more. When we ask how she manages not to go off the rails, she glances at her mum before leaning in and whispering ‘because she watches everything I do’, then bursts out laughing when her mum’s head whips up. ‘See, she heard me!’ But her tone becomes serious as she continues, ‘In my world there’s a lot of things available to me. But I think having some sense of authority in my life reminds me I’m just a kid.’
As a young US TV star breaking into the music industry, it’s inevitable that comparisons will be drawn between Selena and a certain Hannah Montana actress. But despite Miss Cyrus posting a rather nasty video on the internet spoofing Selena, the Waverly Place star is clearly rising above it. ‘I honestly think the comparisons are a compliment. But I’m not here to mimic anybody.’
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