Selena Gomez Says She’s Still ‘Proud’ of Spring Breakers ‘Despite Its Uniqueness’

The Golden Globe nominee shared her affection for the A24 cult classic film in a new interview

Selena Gomez in Cannes, France, on May 19, 2024. PHOTO: NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY

Selena Gomez opened up about her previous and current projects and how her inner circle assists in finding them, like the 2012 film Spring Breakers.

In a new conversation with Variety, the actress and singer, 31, explained how “lucky” she feels to have people in her life who “have great taste,” allowing her to “learn and grow.”

“It’s nice to have guidance from others who would be amazing to work with, whether in writing or production,” she explained before noting how her mother, Mandy Teefey, 48, helped her get a role in the A24 cult classic.

She added that it’s “a project [she’s] proud of despite its uniqueness.” 

Spring Breakers premiered in 2012 and was written and directed by Harmony Korine. Gomez, Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens and Rachel Korine portray four college best friends who head to Florida for Spring break with few funds. Soon, they hold up a restaurant for cash and are arrested until drug dealer Alien (James Franco) bails them out and takes the girls under his wing.

The ‘Spring Breakers’ cast (left to right): Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine and Vanessa Hudgens. ALAMY

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Gomez told The New York Times in 2013 that her mom was a fan of Korine after noting that she’d never been part of a movie she would watch “over and over again.” 

“It’s me kind of taking baby steps,” Gomez told the Times of making the film. “But I know that people will judge my involvement in the movie as a whole. I’m prepared to accept that.”

Selena Gomez in a ‘Spring Breakers’ scene. ALAMY

More than a decade later, Gomez told Variety that the “taste around [her] has shaped [her] own” and spoke about working with some of those tastemakers. 

“Working with Zoe [Saldaña], Édgar [Ramírez] and Karla [Sofía Gascón], we often can’t believe he is directing us,” she said of her Emilia Pérez castmates and their director Jacques Audiard. “Even when he gave me directions about being sad, I was just so happy.”

Emilia Pérez follows three women — Gomez as Jessi, Saldaña as Rita and Gascón as Emilia — who bond through their traumatic experiences in Mexico City’s cartel. 

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Selena Gomez Cannes, France, on May 16, 2024. ARNOLD JEROCKI/GC IMAGES

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“Working with people like Zoe, Karla and Jacques is a privilege, and I believe hard work pays off. I hope to continue growing as an actor,” she added. “Everything in my life feels like a gift, and I’m incredibly grateful.” 

“This is my true passion, and I hope for more opportunities in the future, but you never know with this crazy business,” she noted.

The Emmy nominee added, “Film and TV have always been my outlet, and acting holds a special place in my heart.”

Emilia Pérez won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and May, and its female ensemble cast collectively won best actress.