Selena Gomez: Childhood Echoed ‘Gilmore Girls’

Selena Gomez doesn’t need to rewatch Gilmore Girls – she lived it.

“My mom had me when she was 16, and I do feel that we grew up together,” she recently shared in a Variety Actors on Actors interview with Saoirse Ronan. “It’s a bond that is very different, and I’m so grateful that I’m so close with my mom, that we were there for each other. It felt very Gilmore Girls, if that makes sense. It was very much that dynamic for a long time.”

Selena Gomez, Mandy Teefey, Alexis Bledel, and Lauren Graham.

Allen Berezovsky/WireImage for Fashion Media; Frank Ockenfels/Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

Gomez’s parents divorced when she was five years old. After the split she was raised by her mother, Mandy Teefey, an echo of the circumstances that lead Lauren Graham’s Lorelai Gilmore to raise her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) solo after having her at 16.

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But where Lorelai’s main gauntlet as a mother was getting Rory into the right schools and away from the wrong boys, Teefey had to help Gomez navigate the entertainment industry. Gomez won a part on Barney & Friends when she was only 10 years old, which led to further roles on popular Disney series Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place. Before she was even old enough to vote, Gomez was a teen idol, a business woman, and her family’s primary breadwinner.

“My mom was fantastic,” Gomez reflected. “She would never ever put me in a room by myself, she was just very aware of things that I didn’t know when I was growing up… If i had to go to a premiere and I was 16 she would say, ‘You can’t go to the after party, just enjoy that, have fun. Then you’re gonna go home. Little things that helped my sanity.”

Gomez said that her unique childhood experience and close bond with her mother recently came in handy when she “got to play a mom in Emilia Perez.” In Jacques Audiard’s cartel musical, Gomez plays Jessi, the wife to Karla Sofía Gascón’s titular heroine, a trans woman who’s trying to escape her violent past as a cartel boss.

She described performing alongside the film’s child actors as “very sweet, however I was intimidated, there is a scene that’s called ‘Papa,’ and my son is singing to Karla Sofía Gascón, and it’s so special. There is something about children that is so fearless, and I appreciate that so much.”

Selena Gomez in 2023.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Emilia Perez premiered in limited theatrical release in November, but Gomez had already won a major acting prize months prior. After the film’s Cannes debut, Gomez, Gascón, and costars Zoe Saldaña and Adriana Paz were honored with a joint actress award. That feat was last achieved by the sextet of actresses featured in Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver, which included Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, and Lola Dueñas.

The Golden Globes recently conferred a staggering 10 nominations upon Emilia Perez, including supporting actress nods for both Gomez and Saldaña. “I don’t even know what to write,” Gomez captioned an Instagram story that showcased her reaction to the nomination. “I’m so proud of [Zoe Saldaña] and I am so grateful and honored.”

FAQs

1. Who raised Selena Gomez after her parents’ divorce?

   • After her parents’ divorce, Selena Gomez was raised by her mother, Mandy Teefey.

2. What role did Selena Gomez play in Emilia Perez?

   • Selena Gomez played the role of Jessi, the wife to Karla Sofía Gascón’s titular heroine, in Jacques Audiard’s cartel musical, Emilia Perez.

3. What award did Selena Gomez and her co-stars receive for their performance in Emilia Perez?

   • After the Cannes debut of Emilia Perez, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, and Adriana Paz were honored with a joint actress award.
4. How many nominations did Emilia Perez receive at the Golden Globes?
   • Emilia Perez received a total of 10 nominations at the Golden Globes, including supporting actress nods for both Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña.

Credit: ew.com