Selena Gomez’s Emotional Reaction to Landing Emilia Pérez Movie Role

Selena Gomez’s latest project, ‘Emilia Pérez’, holds a special place in her heart. The 32-year-old singer and actress shared an emotional video on Instagram, capturing the moment she learned she’d been cast as Jessi Del Monte in the upcoming film. 

In the clip, Gomez, dressed in a white cropped shirt and nude trousers, expresses her disbelief, exclaiming, “I can’t believe I got the movie! I’m so gonna cry right now, I don’t want to cry,” while sitting on a sofa with her hands covering her face in shock. Despite her attempts to hold back tears, her friend Gabby, who was filming, encouraged her to embrace the moment. “This is gonna be so cool, Gabby!” Gomez added with excitement.

Image Courtesy: People

The ‘Only Murders in the Building’ star included the video in a carousel of photos on Instagram, captioning the post, “When I found out I got the part for @emiliaperezfilm and the sessions in between loll.” Among the photos were images of Gomez hugging her co-star Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays the title role, as well as shots of Gomez posing among racks of clothes, tagging Saint Laurent. Another photo showed a blonde and bloodied Gomez taking a mirror selfie, while another image captured her pouting with brunette locks and wearing a furry jacket.

Gomez’s post comes after her emotional response to the minutes-long standing ovation that ‘Emilia Pérez’ received at the Cannes Film Festival.

Image Courtesy: People

In ‘Emilia Pérez’, Gomez portrays the wife of a feared drug cartel leader, Manitas (Gascón), who seeks the help of lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldaña) to secretly undergo a sex change operation as he approaches retirement. The film, divided into four acts, features original songs performed by the cast.

During an appearance on the ‘Smartless’ podcast in January, Gomez reflected on the challenging nature of the role, sharing how she channelled personal experiences, including her first time going to rehab, to bring depth to her character. She described the experience as cathartic, likening it to the relief felt after a good cry.

‘Emilia Pérez’ is set to stream on Netflix starting 13th November.

–Farheen Ali