THE UNICEF ambassador credits her parents for teaching her “how to give back and how important that was.” RUBEN V. NEPALES
LOS ANGELES—Selena Gomez, back as the voice of Mavis in “Hotel Transylvania 2,” relishes the animated film’s underlying theme of being different. Mavis, Dracula’s (Adam Sandler) daughter, marries a human, Jonathan (Andy Samberg). They have a son, Dennis (Asher Blinkoff). Grandpa Dracula and great grandpa Vlad (Mel Brooks) are eager to know if little Dennis is a vampire like them.
The Genndy Tartakovsky-directed movie, also featuring the voices of Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman and Dana Carvey, showcases Selena’s and these actors’ voice acting talents.
In person, the young Texas-raised singer-actress is confident, smart and articulate. The following are excerpts from our chat.
This movie starts with a wedding ceremony… Mavis gets married and starts a family. Can you relate to that in your life?
I can’t relate to that per se, but I think it’s beautiful. Especially because it’s more than her being a mom and a wife; it’s about embracing somebody in your life that’s different. I think the second movie really captures that. It’s special to see her become such a beautiful mom. But she’s still spunky and all over the place.
The movie’s underlying theme is about being different. How does that resonate in your own family?
I am not a parent but from what I have observed from my parents, you really want your kids to have a better life than you did. That’s the goal—I want you to not make my mistakes and I want you to go do this and do that. So sometimes, there’s a lot of pressure.
I feel that in today’s society, kids want to explore different avenues. I just think that there should be a factor of not being afraid to say that you want to do that.
Have you always felt different?
I have always been different. I began acting at seven. I would go to school with all my friends. But then I would leave for a week to go shoot a TV show. On top of that, I was shooting “Barney & Friends” when I was in middle school. That’s the easiest target to make fun of somebody—for being on “Barney.”
I loved my job and I loved working. I loved having fun on the set and I liked going to school and being normal.
Mavis and Jonathan love each other, no matter how different they are. What are your own concerns about falling in love?
I don’t trust a lot of people. I get nervous and it’s like, why do people want to talk to me? Why do they like me? Do they just like me because of who I am? I deal with that a lot. I hope that I can feel comfortable and safe. And that I know it’s real.
Do you know a good monster story?
I am from Texas … a lot of haunted houses and stuff. My dad thought it was hilarious to scare me as a kid. He would pick on me a lot and tell me ghost stories.
At 23, you sound mature. Where does that maturity come from?
I have been working since I was 7. When I was on my TV show, I always felt like I was surrounded by adults. My mom always taught me to be respectful, listen to people, hear them out, be gracious and grateful. She always embodied that and I think it just kind of came natural [in me]. But some days, I feel 15 and then some days I feel 30; it just depends.
When do you feel like a woman and are there days when the girl in you still comes out?
I feel like a woman when I have my own mortgage and I have my own house (laughs). I definitely feel like an adult then. But I always feel like a kid. I go home and I am with my dad. I am back in Texas and I am with my grandparents. They don’t see me any differently. I love that and they treat me [like a] normal [person].
You continue to speak out against “body shamers” since you were subjected to some cruel comments about your photos in a bikini last April.
I was just shocked to see how much attention it got. I am 23 and I am growing up. I am becoming my own in my own body. A woman should be able to feel comfortable in her body.
Luckily, I don’t look at those things (media emphasis on slim bodies) and think, my goodness, I should look like that. But certain girls do. I don’t want girls to look at a picture of me and think oh, is that what I am supposed to look like? Everybody is different.
IN THE sequel, her character Mavis has become “such a beautiful mom. But she’s still spunky and all over the place,” says the actress.
How do you stay confident and not be affected by all the negativity?
I just know that when people say no to me, I have this urge inside of me to want to prove them wrong. When people try to knock me down, I am glad that I have never had a perfect life.
That’s not interesting because nobody is perfect so it’s just about embracing that.
You have been serving as a Unicef ambassador to help impoverished children. Where did that awareness come from?
From traveling. If it wasn’t for my job, I would have never left Texas. I get to travel the world from doing concerts to meeting people to doing press tours. I realized that people aren’t as lucky as me.
So when I see these kids so worried about an Instagram post or worried about how many followers they have, I think to myself, do you even understand that there are people who don’t even have a phone? And who don’t even understand what that means? That’s what really sparked it.
My parents have always taught me how to give back and how important that was. I think about how many kids can help the world if they just knew but they have no idea. But maybe if they listen to me, they’ll know (laughs).
(E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.)