“It was a challenge for me for sure”: Despite a Standing Ovation at Cannes, Selena Gomez is Unhappy with One Thing About her Emilia Pérez Performance
Selena Gomez has established herself as not only one of the most talented musicians but also a great actress in Hollywood. This does not come as much of a surprise since she started her career as a child actress on the television series Barney & Friends. She shifted her focus to her solo music career in 2012, and her debut album Stars Dance was released in 2013.
While Gomez is primarily known for her role in the HBO series Only Murders in the Building, her most recent big-screen venture is Emilia Pérez. In an interview, Gomez opened up about the challenge of working in the movie.
Selena Gomez Revealed the Challenge in Appearing in Emilia Pérez
Directed by Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez is a Spanish-language musical drama. Besides Selena Gomez, the film also stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña and Édgar Ramírez. The film follows Saldaña in the role of a lawyer who finds an unconventional way to help a drug cartel leader Manitas (Gascón) in undergoing a s*x change operation to become a woman.
Gomez plays the role of Manitas’ unsuspecting wife. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Gomez shared the challenge she faced in her performance in the movie.
I’m not as happy with what I feel like I could have done in Spanish, but it’s more overall, I hope that it doesn’t hinder my performance and I’m really grateful for the opportunity.
Perhaps I could have had more time with it, but I was full throttle and I wanted to be a part of this so badly. So it was a challenge for me for sure.
Variety reported that the movie earned a nine-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. Gomez wiped away tears while the MCU star and Ramírez exchanged an emotional hug. Director Audiard waved his hat at the balcony. Gomez and Saldaña are no strangers to the film festival, but this was a huge deal for Gascón, a rising trans star in Madrid.
Karla Sofía Gascón Was Unsure of Taking the Role of Manitas
This movie deals with a sensitive subject, and while the César Award-winning filmmaker was sure that Gascón was the perfect artist for this role, the actor herself doubted it in the beginning. She told (via The Associated Press):
It was difficult at first. I didn’t want to play the part of Manitas. I only wanted to play the part of Emilia. It took several months for me to convince myself that I could do both.
At one point, we didn’t know who would be playing the two characters and then it became quite obvious that it would be me.
The actress hopes that Emilia will not seen as a mere trans character. She stated that trans people should be treated like every other person, and they should be seen for who they are since their bodies and they are allowed to change it.
