Selena Gomez admits she was left ‘stunted’ by childhood choice
- The actress, 32, was just 10 years old when she started acting in Barney
- She has thought about getting into the industry at such a young age
- READ MORE: Selena Gomez reveals her biggest problem and what her very first date with boyfriend Benny Blanco was
Selena Gomez has admitted she wishes she hadn’t entered show business so young because the industry ‘stifled’ her growth as a person.
The 32-year-old Emilia Pérez star famously started acting when she was just 10 years old, appearing in 13 episodes of the children’s show Barney.
By the time she was 15, she landed the lead role in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place and from there appeared in Another Cinderella Story, Ramona and Beezus and Monte Carlo.
I think about starting her career in the spotlight at such a young age as part of Elle’s Women in Hollywood 2024 portfolio, Selena said: ‘I don’t regret it and I have a fantastic family and there were rules set by my parents and I’m grateful for that.
“I don’t think I would have done it very young though if I thought about myself now.
‘There were a lot of things that made me feel limited.
Selena Gomez has admitted she wishes she hadn’t entered show business so young
She was only 10 when she started acting (pictured in the 2007 Disney Channel show The Wizards Of Waverly Place)
“Adding a lot of pressure from a lot of people didn’t help me develop self-esteem in my twenties.
‘It was a very difficult time.’
Selena added to the publication: “I live with it every day. I try my hardest to stay positive about everything and focus on things like this [movie] that really makes me happy.
‘But I would say: maybe wait a while and live a little.’
Selena has spoken out in the past about her struggles in the spotlight.
In 2021, the singer lamented that she “turned my life over to Disney at a very young age, so I didn’t know exactly what I was doing, I was just running around on set, and now I feel like a sponge and I’m soaking up all the wisdom that I can.’
Speaking later to the Radio Times, Selena further emphasized that she was “extremely proud of the work I also did for Disney.”
“It has shaped who I am in a way.”
Selena revealed in an interview with Elle that there were ‘a lot of things that made me feel held back’
She told the publication that “pressure from a lot of people didn’t help me develop a sense of self-worth in my twenties”
After starring in Another Cinderella Story, Ramona and Beezus and Monte Carlo, Selena moved on to more mature projects such as Spring Breakers and Only Murders in the Building.
Selena revealed the toughest acting job of her career so far, adding: ‘The most challenging, because I was only 18 or 19, was Spring Breakers.
“It was the first thing I did right after my Disney show and it was such a crazy detour.
“That’s when I knew I was going to fall in love with filmmakers and really gritty, fun things that were a little too graphic.”
Selena is one of the famous faces featured in Elle’s 2024 Women in Hollywood honorees.
She stars alongside Danielle Deadwyler, Cynthia Erivo, Karla Sofía Gascón, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore, Julianne Moore, Saoirse Ronan, Zoe Saldaña and Tilda Swinton.