10 of Selena Gomez's Most Iconic Roles
Selena Gomez began her acting career at just 10 years old. From Wizards of Waverly Place to Only Murders in the Building, L'OFFICIEL looks back at her most memorable appearances on screen.
Selena Gomez has truly done it all and has certainly come a long way from her early beginnings on Disney Channel. From being a leading TV series regular to executive producing her own series, she has evolved alongside her projects, becoming an extremely familiar face on the big screen.
Beginning her acting career on the children's television series Barney & Friends and then rising to prominence for her lead role as Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place, Gomez became a real Disney star in her teenage years. At 16, she signed a record deal with Hollywood Records and later formed the pop rock band Selena Gomez & the Scene through this deal. The group released their first studio album in August 2009 which debuted at number nine on the Billboard chart, further gaining recognition for her musical talent.
Since then, her career opportunities have only become more abundant. She moved away from Disney Chanel and began releasing singles as well as acting in several film projects a year, even producing the Netflix hit series 13 Reasons Why. Unsurprisingly, she was included on Time’s list of most influential people in the world in 2020. The following year, Gomez starred in and executive produced the comedy series Only Murders in the Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short, which was her first scripted television role since Wizards of Waverly Place. She later made history when she was nominated as a producer at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, marking only the second time a Latina has ever been among the producing nominees for comedy series in Emmy Award history.
In honor of Gomez's 30th birthday, L’OFFICIEL looks back at the best roles in her outstanding career of almost two decades.
There probably isn't a singular more iconic role Selena Gomez is known for. Being the center of the Disney hit series, Wizards of Waverly Place, Gomez's career took off after the success of this beloved show. She portrayed Alex Russo, a teen who must compete with her brothers to officially be the next wizard in the family. With four seasons spanning over 5 years, this was an unforgettable show for many. The series finale was the most-watched final episode of any Disney Channel show and it even won an Emmy.
The Ramona books, written by Beverly Cleary, were one of the most popular series for young teens in the late 2000s. When it was announced to be adapted into a film, Gomez was just gaining popularity for her role as Alex in Wizards of Waverly Place. While the two projects contrast drastically in plot, there is a very similar sibling dynamic in both, where Gomez is consistently the responsible one. In Ramona and Beezus, she portrays Beezus, the older sister of the rambunctious Ramona Quimby (played by Joey King). Their fun, loving and often chaotic relationship is clearly portrayed, resulting in lots of praise for the genuine chemistry between the two actresses.
As a beloved Disney star, there was no doubt it only took a little time before Gomez played the role of a princess. Another Cinderella Story is a retelling of the Cinderella fairytale in a modern-day setting, where Gomez, playing Mary is a talented dancer with aspirations of studying performing arts in New York. This film proves that Gomez is an absolute triple threat in the industry, not only having a beautiful pop voice and an accomplished acting career, but also stellar dancing skills.
Gomez's duality for being talented in multiple industries seemed to have translated into her portrayal of two identical characters in one film. Monte Carlo is a 2011 American adventure-romantic comedy film, directed by Thomas Bezucha. Monte Carlo stars Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, and Katie Cassidy as three friends posing as wealthy socialites in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where they meet British heiress Cordelia Winthrop-Scott, Grace's (Gomez) double. In multiple scenes, Selena Gomez appears twice, as two separate characters.
While she's not exactly seen on the screen, many will recognize Gomez's distinctive voice as the voice of Mavis in Hotel Transylvania. Mavis, a vampire, is the daughter of Count Dracula and the movie follows her story of falling in love with a human, Johnny, as they fall in love and start a family. All three movies in the franchise were a huge success, with the third movie grossing a stellar $528 million worldwide million, making it the most that any film in her career had racked up so far.
In 2013, Gomez starred in her first R-rated movie: Spring Breakers. The controversial film by Harmoney Korine follows four college girls who decide to rob a diner in order to have enough money for their spring break trip to Florida. Although initially arrested, Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Brit (Ashley Benson), Cotty (Rachel Korine), and Faith (Gomez), are bailed out by a strange drug dealer Alien (James Franco). Worried by the situation, Faith decides to return home but the other three are charmed by Alien’s money and bad boy persona.
In 2016, this comedy-drama starring Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, and Gomez premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was later released on Netflix. Certainly a pivot point in her career, this film proved that Gomez was moving away from Disney and towards more serious roles.
In 2019, Gomez stars in A Rainy Day in New York, alongside a star-studded cast of Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Jude Law, Diego Luna, and Liev Schriber. The film, written and directed by Woody Allen has Allen's distinct style and Gomez plays into the intimacy of an unexpected encounter perfectly.
There is no genre Gomez cannot conquer. In 2020, with the pandemic putting a stop to almost all filming in the industry, Gomez seemed to discover a newfound hobby: cooking. As she was stuck at home, she began documenting her learning through a reality cooking series called Selena + Chef where she remotely works with various professional chefs like Antonia Lofaso, Roy Choi, Kelis Rogers, and more. Here, fans got to see Gomez simply as herself — animated, funny, and extremely charismatic.
Most recently, Gomez made her return to television as the star and executive producer of Only Murders in the Building. The mystery-comedy series is currently in its second season and has received significant critical praise for the remarkable chemistry between the cast. The show was also just nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series for the 2022 Emmy Awards.
