Selena Gomez has had a pretty busy year with notable works on our 2024 TV schedule (Only Murders in the Building) and 2024 movie schedule (Emilia Pérez). The singer-actor is also already set to appear on our 2025 TV schedule, too, with the Hulu mega hit's fifth season. So, it’s surprising to hear she goes into some auditions not using her real name. Although the reasoning behind why makes sense.
The Hotel Transylvania alum sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to talk about all of her recent successes and what’s ahead. She also shared that she still goes into some auditions without using her real name to have a better chance at auditioning without preconceived notions. She said of the process:
Well, if they think I’m too young for a part, or whatever the case may be, we use a tactic where we don’t tell them it’s me auditioning so that they just have to accept me auditioning. Because sometimes even them just hearing that I want to audition, they’ll be like, ‘No, that’s not going to match for what we’re doing.’ Or it’s, ‘We’re going to hire people that nobody knows,’ and then they hire, like, Austin Butler, and I’m like, ‘Cool.’ But I’m not angry, it’s the position I have and it’s OK. It just means I’m going to continue to do things that are hopefully compelling and different.
Gomez has a good perspective on the whole ordeal, even if it makes her process of going out for roles more complicated. It shows that she’s dedicated to growing her career and makes me appreciate her more as a person in Hollywood.
The Only Murders in the Building star also explained that her agents are in on it for recorded or live auditions, and it has worked too. She shared:
I’ll sometimes send in a tape when they don’t know it’s me, or if it’s in person, my managers will just say, ‘Oh, we have a client that’ll have a read.’ And most of the time, they’ll go, ‘OK.’ And it worked on one of the movies I did, because they looked at me as I walked in and I thought I’d lost it immediately because they went, ‘Ooohh.’ I was like, ‘No, no, no, no. Just let me read.’ It was Fundamentals of Caring, a cute little movie [with Paul Rudd]. And it worked, I got it. You kind of have to do the dance.
I’m glad that she has found a way around the preconceived notions, the immediate no’s, and more importantly, that she has the confidence in herself to go after it.
It’s good to see that the triple threat seems to have not only become a pro at maneuvering Hollywood but has also become a guide for younger people in the profession as well. In fact, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place star, Janice Leann Brown, shared that the wizardly veteran had some really sweet advice for her in terms of finding yourself in the business.
Perhaps she gained this perspective while on her ‘crazy detour’ post-Disney, and in the middle of making the Harmony Korine flick Spring Breakers.
Whenever she gained the insight, it’s great to see that she’s making way for a more inclusive landscape for young actors and actresses. As Gomez continues navigating Hollywood and new roles herself, hopefully, her audition process gets a little less complicated. In the meantime, I’m glad she’s found a way around all of it that works for her.
If you’d like to watch Only Murders in the Building you can with a Hulu subscription and if you’d like to stream her newest movie, Emilia Pérez, you can do so with a Netflix subscription.
