Selena Gomez’s coming of age

Find out Selena Gomez’s future career plans.

Selena Gomez’s daring role in “Spring Breakers” may mark the before and after in her acting career.

 
Selena Gomez has been working on ending her image as an innocent kid. Her role in such a graphic and explicit film such as “Spring Breakers” clearly states that something is changing in the life of this young actress and singer, despite that she is not the lead role in Harmony Korine’s film and did not have any nude scenes on camera.

She says it’s part of growing up, now 20 years old, and having to break away from being constantly associated to her ex-boyfriend and Canadian phenomenon Justin Bieber. Gomez assures that she was attracted to the role at all times and learned quite a lot from a world unknown to her.

She even had to learn how to smoke as part of the requirements for the role. “I had never done it before,” she says between smiles. “It was really fun because they had to teach me how to smoke.”

This was part of the fun in a movie that takes place in Florida’s beaches, where a mass number of young students celebrate spring break, a period known for big parties, drugs, and alcohol. This is what Korine portrays in his highly explicit film, which took enough precautions to avoid being rated R.

Gomez is one of four girls who gets enough money to have a great time with her friends on spring break. Then, everything takes a bad turn when they meet a dangerous character (portrayed by James Franco) who makes their experience a notorious one.

“I knew it was a risk but after meeting everyone leading the project I knew it what the right move, something completely different,” she admits. “I know there’s a shock factor in this movie, which can be difficult. I wasn’t scared, however, in terms of my family, although I’m very conscious of what they might think. I have warned them the best I could and hope that they can understand why I took the role. This is simply an acting job, not my real life.”

Despite all, she admits that she likes to have fun. “I try to keep my feet on the ground but try to have fun as well, and we had a lot of fun making this movie. A lot of people we encountered were in fact celebrating spring break and that was a big help,” she confesses.

It was a pioneering experience. “Honestly, it was a first time for all of us. The movie was our first experience as spring breakers. The director asked us to spend a lot of time together so we could prepare and grow as actresses.”

Up to now, they have received good reviews. “We worked really hard on this and hope that it has great results.”

The movie revolves around a cultural phenomenon that is hard to explain; a time in which people do things that they weren’t able to do before, “like an adventure for small-time girls, like the ones in the film, who travel to Florida.” It’s an undeniable step towards adulthood, “I’m accustomed to one thing, my own routine for four years, but I’m very excited to step out of this routine and take a path to new things.”

When it comes to working with James Franco, Gómez says that he is “a person who brought a different experience to the film, not knowing what to say when I saw him dressed as his character for the first time, it was very intimidating.”

Despite what this step entails, Gómez knows that many of her fans that have supported her all the way, such as Quinceañeras, will not be able to see her film until they grow up. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for them,” she admits. “Despite all, this will give us greater cinematographic exposure due to the fact that no one has seen us in this type of film.”

It’s a big step from a teenage actress and singer to adult, and one she does not take lightly. “I’m a little scared of this transition, to leave my comfort zone and suddenly become an adult, but I have been part of projects I enjoy, especially when it comes to music.”

She knows, however, that she will be subject to criticism she cannot avoid. “As long as I do what I have to do, I’m sure it will be alright.”

Then there’s her love life, something that has been chasing her since she became a star. Her two-year relationship with Justin Bieber has marked her career, although she prefers to focus on her work and keep away from gossip magazines. There have been rumors of a new love interest, Luke Bracey, former co-star in “Monte Carlo,” a romantic film released in 2011. But she acts as if nothing is going on.

> Mimic Selena Gomez’s celebrity look.