Selena Gomez recalls getting her first role in an R-rated movie. Gomez began her career as a child actor, acting in projects such as Barney & Friends and Spy Kids 3 when she was a pre-teen. When Gomez was 15, she had her breakout role playing Alex Russo on the hit Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place. Wizards of Waverly Place ran for four seasons from 2007 to 2012, and will now be getting a revival show called Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
Speaking in an interview with Vanity Fair, Gomez reflects on what it was like to be cast in Spring Breakers following her run on Wizards of Waverly Place.
The former Disney star explained that she “was so eager after Disney to have a release.” Taking the part in Spring Breakers was her mother’s idea, after she and Gomez had watched director Harmony Korine’s movies together. Thinking back to her time working on Spring Breakers, Gomez noted that her “character is very reflective of who [she] was back then.” Check out the full quote from Gomez below:
“This is probably, to date, still one of my favorite projects I was ever a part of. Believe it or not, it was my mom’s idea. We watched Harmony’s movies together and I was so eager after Disney to have a release. Nothing as drastic as I thought it would be. But I think my character is very reflective of who I was back then, which was stepping out of this era of always needing to make sure that I you know, hold my head up high, do things kids can watch. And just felt like a huge release.”
Why Spring Breakers Was So Significant To Selena Gomez’s Career
Spring Breakers Was Gomez’s First R-Rated Movie
As Gomez alludes to in her quote, Spring Breakers was the actor’s first R-rated movie. Its release also came right on the heels of the end of her time on Wizards of Waverly Place. Wizards season 4 concluded with an hour-long episode on January 6, 2012. Spring Breakers premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2012 and hit wide release in 2013. The proximity of Wizards of Waverly Place ending and Spring Breakers releasing was a massive shock to the system for those who were used to Gomez in her Disney era.
Spring Breakers was a particularly notable way for Gomez to break the Disney mold given its subject matter. Gomez draws the comparison between her character and her actual place in life at that point. In the movie, she is a college girl finding herself going to extreme lengths to fund her spring break. While acting in Spring Breakers was not nearly as extreme of a rebellion as her character Faith enacts in the film, it shares a similar sensibility of wanting to break the mold to craft a new version of oneself.
Acting in Spring Breakers so soon after Wizards of Waverly Place is part of what likely helped Gomez break free from her Disney actor image. Following Spring Breakers, Gomez went on to have other film roles, including in Getaway, Rudderless, and The Big Short. She also leaned more heavily into her music career, showing a more mature side of herself there too. This commitment to divorce her film and television career from Wizards of Waverly Place has helped Gomez establish the ongoing successful acting career she has today.
Source: Vanity Fair
