The stars of the film “Emilia Pérez” by Jacques Audiard gathered last week for the premiere of the film in Los Angeles. The opportunity for Selena Gomez, who plays Jessi Del Monte, to look back on her audition for the feature film. A special experience for the former Disney muse.
A moment engraved in his memory, or almost. While auditioning for Jacques Audiard’s feature film, singer and actress Selena Gomez had an experience that she won’t soon forget. In the film “Emilia Pérez”, the former Disney star plays the role of Jessi Del Monte, the wife of a cartel leader, performed by Karla Sofía Gascón, forced to change her life when the latter tells her he wants to change gender. It is this moment in particular that Selena Gomez had to reproduce in front of the director during the casting, a musical sequence carried by the song “Bienvenida”.
“Even more madness”
While she had to let out her pent-up frustrations following the announcement of her husband’s gender transition, Selena Gomez followed the instructions of director Jacques Audiard to the letter, to try to let this state of anger shine through as best as possible. “I had no idea what concept he was going for. The director, Jacques, literally told me: “Play drunk, throw your shoes if you want, do all these things and go crazy.” I was like, ‘Oh? OK,'” she said. “I did it once, and he said, ‘More crazy.’ And I went all in. I was standing on furniture and blacked out, but I was singing my heart out and dancing like crazy, well I guess she was a crazy drunk woman. It was a completely crazy experience, but I was honored that he finally decided to choose me,” admitted the 32-year-old star.
The artist of Mexican origin, used to sequences mixing acting and singing, also admitted to not having needed to give advice to her co-stars, even though they were new to the genre. “They didn’t need it. Have you seen Zoe (Saldana, NDRL)? This girl doesn’t need advice. On the contrary, it’s me who needs people,” declared the one who began her career at the age of 10. “In this movie, everyone, I think, was vulnerable, and it was real. We did the best we could, even if it wasn’t perfect,” she added.
And for those who were unable to go to theaters to watch “Emilia Pérez”, the strange mix between film noir and musical comedy will be available on Netflix from November 13.
