It’s safe to say that most Gen Z people see Selena Gomez as one of the celebrities that defined their childhood. She was one of Disney Channel’s main pop princesses and at one point, was the most followed female celebrity on Instagram until Ariana Grande surpassed her in 2019. After her reign on Disney, she still released music but was only acting in minor roles, voice acting and even producing a few projects. But now she’ll be a leading lady once again in the new Hulu original series “Only Murders In The Building”.
Premiering on Aug. 31, this series is a comedy about three strangers who share an obsession with true crime until they suddenly become involved in one after a murder takes place in their apartment building. The trio is composed of Gomez’s character, Mabel Mora, along with comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short. Martin and Short are known for their work as stand-up comedians and starring in several comedy films together such as “Three Amigos” and “Father of the Bride.” All three also serve as executive producers on the show.
In addition to “Only Murders In The Building,” Gomez also has a cooking show on HBO Max called “Selena + Chef” that was released in August 2020. This series features Selena in her home, testing her cooking skills with various professional chefs. Since the show was filmed in the height of the pandemic, there was no crew present at her house and all chefs participated through video chat. The series was renewed for a third season in April 2021, but no release date has been announced.
Selena also launched her own makeup line “Rare Beauty” in September 2020. The purpose of her makeup line is for people to embrace their uniqueness instead of trying to be someone different. The brand website says, “Rare Beauty is breaking down unrealistic standards of perfection.” Rare Beauty sells various types of makeup like foundation, blush and eyeshadow as well as additional tools such as brushes and mirrors.
Fans are excited to see Gomez in a major acting role again. Even though she is years removed from Disney Channel, that’s what many people know and love her from. She spent five years playing the role of Alex Russo on “Wizards of Waverly Place,” and guest starred on many popular Disney Channel shows at the time such as “Hannah Montana” and “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” Her music career also exploded during that time with the band “Selena Gomez and The Scene,” who released three albums together and had many songs and music videos playing on rotation on Disney Channel, Radio Disney, and even mainstream radio.
After leaving Disney, she was on a mission to shed her Disney image, like most Disney stars do. Being known as a Disney kid puts actors in a box and it becomes extremely difficult for them to land more mature roles. The most notable attempt being her role as Faith in “Spring Breakers,” which was about rebellious college students who got pulled into a world of drugs, crime and violence while on their spring break trip. Although Gomez’s character was the religious friend who tags along with her friends out of peer pressure, her participation in the film was enough to let the world know that she’s not a kid anymore.Gomez has also taken on many voice acting roles in “Hotel Transylvania” franchise and “Dolittle”.
The first three episodes of “Only Murders In The Building” will be available to stream on Hulu on Aug. 31.