Trivia / Selena Gomez

• Ability over Appearance: The Russo family were written to be Irish at first. But when Selena auditioned, they decided to make them a Mexican-Italian family to match her.
• Acting for Two:
  • Does this in Monte Carlo (2011).
  • She's also played every main character (by means of a body swap or Humanshifting) at some point in Wizards of Waverly Place.
  • She played four roles (the teenager, her father, her mother, and her gym teacher) in the music video for "Bad Liar".
• Approval of God: David Byrne wholeheartedly voiced his approval of Gomez's use of the bassline for "Psycho Killer" in her song "Bad Liar".
• Black Sheep Hit: "Naturally" was an uncharacteristically techno-dance song on the Kiss + Tell album. It managed to be the biggest hit off of the album, and set the pace for her followup, dance-oriented album, A Year Without Rain.
• Cast Incest: She admitted to having a crush on David Henrie, who plays her brother Justin on Wizards of Waverly Place. They even used to casually date. Many fans have speculated this for years due to the UST problems she and David have on the show.
• The Cast Showoff: Since she can act, sing and has business savvy, expect her to show these talents even when it wouldn't be conventionally required.
• Contractual Purity: As a Disney star, she was required to present a chaste and family-friendly image. Her post-Disney work has been focused on breaking out of this with more Ms. Fanservice and otherwise family-unfriendly roles.
• Creator Backlash: She has called "Come & Get It" a "Rihanna reject".
• Creator Breakdown: She went into rehab to treat a case of lupus in 2013 (her publicists kept the matter private, claiming they were non-substance abuse-related; Selena revealed the truth of the matter in 2015), then made a tearful, poignant, yet vague, speech a year later at a We Day charity event hinting that she had been pressured by certain people who were there to "guide" her into making decisions she wasn't comfortable with in order to feel accepted in Hollywood, rather than stay true to herself.
• Fake American: Selena is from the US, but she's definitely not a New Yorker like Alex Russo is. Normally, it wouldn't matter, but the location is often important to the plot of the show and it's a bit jarring to hear her southern drawl come out when some of her co-stars are putting on New York accents. She's also of Mexican, Tejano, Italian and English descent too.
• I Am Not Spock: Has yet to break out of this since some of her movies so far have bombed at the box office.
• Playing Against Type: Spring Breakers may not look like anything special at first, until you realize that it's written and directed by Harmony Korine, art-house and avant-garde director known for Brain Bleach and Mind Screw movies like Gummo and Julien Donkey-Boy. Basically, this movie is absolutely not for anyone wanting to see their favorite Disney teen idols and pop singers on the big screen. There are also films where she's a Sir Swears-a-Lot character like Getaway and The Fundamentals of Caring.
• Romance on the Set:
  • First met now ex-boyfriend Nick Jonas on the set of The Jonas Brothers music video for "Burnin' Up".
  • She also admitted that she had a slight crush on David Henrie, her on-screen brother, on Wizards of Waverly Place.
• What Could Have Been: A Lizzie McGuire spin-off headlined by her was planned, revolving around Miranda's younger sister Stevie. It's rumored that Lalaine's drug problems are the reason it didn't come to pass.
  • She was cast in a lead role in the movie adaptation of 13 Reasons Why. Ultimately subverted when she ended up becoming an executive producer of the Netflix series instead.
• Why Fandom Can't Have Nice Things: Almost, though for something more trivial. Selena once said she was considering no longer performing at concerts in her bare feet due to gang-stalkers making snide remarks about it. Thankfully many fans were able to communicate with her via Twitter, explaining there was nothing wrong with her being barefoot, and to not listen to negative comments. She doesn't perform barefoot as much as she used to, but every so often she kicks her heels off for a song.

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