‘Calm Down’ singer Selena Gomez began her career on ‘Barney & Friends’
Selena Gomez shared some advice for newcomers who have gotten their first taste of Hollywood success.
“All I can say is, I would love to be there for you if you ever have questions,” Gomez, 30, said during a new interview for Vanity Fair’s 29th Annual Hollywood Issue.
“But this industry is a beast. It’s really scary to see what happens when you’re given so much power and money at a young age. I think it’s extremely scary.
“The bigger you get, the more humble I would encourage you to be. Hold on to your heart, try to be the best you can be and be careful about who to trust, because you are who you surround yourself with.”
The “Lose You to Love Me” singer revealed her little sister, Gracie Elliot Teefey, has said she doesn’t want to be a part of the entertainment industry.
“My sister’s 9, and thank God she doesn’t want to be in this industry,” Gomez said. “Actually, that’s her now. What if she tells me in two years she wants to? I can’t even think about it.”
Gomez got her start as a child actor on “Barney and Friends” then became a household name while starring on the Disney Channel show “Wizards of Waverly Place.”
Most recently, the actress has starred alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short in “Only Murders in the Building.”
As a Disney star, Gomez claims there were things she was never allowed to say.
“I wasn’t a wild child by any means. But I was on Disney, so I had to make sure not to say ‘What the h—?’ in front of anyone,” Gomez revealed to the outlet. “It’s stuff that I was also putting on myself to be the best role model I could be. Now, I think being the best role model is being honest, even with the ugly and complicated parts of yourself.”
Gomez has been open about her struggles with mental health throughout her career.
In 2014, the former Disney star entered a mental health facility shortly after she was diagnosed with lupus and later revealed she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“My lupus, my kidney transplant, chemotherapy, having a mental illness, going through very public heartbreaks — these were all things that honestly should have taken me down,” the actress explained in a 2020 interview with Elle magazine. “Every time I went through something, I was like, ‘What else? What else am I going to have to deal with?'”
Gomez has included her mental health work in her business ventures. In 2020, she launched Rare Beauty to “create a safe, welcoming space in beauty – and beyond,” according to the brand’s mission statement.
The brand includes the Rare Impact Fund, which raises money for mental health services.
Gomez hasn’t just had a successful acting career. She also released music with her band Selena Gomez & The Scene before launching her solo career. She’s known for hit songs such as “Lose You to Love Me,” “It Ain’t Me” and “Love You Like a Love Song.”
