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Selena Gomez at the premiere of 'Emilia Perez'© Neilson Barnard

Selena Gomez shares emotional moment when she learned she was cast in 'Emilia Perez'

Gomez and the women of the film won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival


Maria Loreto
Senior Writer
AUGUST 20, 2024 1:47 PM EDT

Selena Gomez is involved in one of the buzziest movies of the year. "Emilia Perez," directed by award-winning French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, and starring a cast made up of Zoe Saldaña and Edgar Ramirez, has wowed early viewers, winning prestigious awards at the Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered. A new video shared by Gomez shows just how much she wanted the project and the fact that she knew that she was involved with something important.

"Emilia Perez" Photocall - The 77th Annual Cannes Film Festival© GettyImages
Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana, and Karla Sofia Gascon.

The video was shared in an Instagram post and featured various photos of Gomez playing the part of Jessi in the film. The clip is brief and shows Gomez at home, in her pajamas, crying after she received a phone call from her managers informing her that she was cast in the project. 

"I can't believe I got the movie, I'm so gonna cry right now," says Gomez with a smile on her face. "I don't want to cry," she says, covering her face with her hands and beginning to sob. 

The rest of the post shows some behind-the-scenes moments, including Gomez holding on to Karla Sofia Gascon, the film's lead star, and taking some photos while in hair and makeup. 

When I found out I got the part for @emiliaperezfilm and the sessions in between lolll," Gomez captioned the post. 

View post on Instagram
 

Gomez's experience making 'Emilia Perez'

Gomez has opened up about her experience making "Emilia Perez," a film that appears to be incredibly special for her. "Jacques [Audiard], the director, was so wonderful," Gomez said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

"We were able to build the character, Jessi, around my ability, and I was so grateful for that. It allowed me to not only focus on just making sure I was speaking Spanish — I could be a little bit more free and focus on my performance."