Selena Gomez admits she was left ‘stunted’ by childhood choice

Selena Gomez has admitted that she wishes she hadn’t gone into showbusiness so young because the industry ‘stunted’ her growth as a person.

The Emilia Pérez star, 32, famously started acting when she was just 10 years old, appearing in 13 episodes of the children’s show Barney.

By the time she was 15, she landed the starring role in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place and from there went on to appear in Another Cinderella Story, Ramona and Beezus, and Monte Carlo.

Reflecting on beginning her career in the spotlight at such a young age as part of Elle’s 2024 Women in Hollywood portfolio, Selena said: ‘I have no regrets and I have a fantastic family and there were rules laid down by my parents and I’m appreciative of that.

‘However, I don’t think I would’ve done it very young if I was thinking of myself now.

‘There were a lot of things that I felt stunted by.

She was just 10 when she started acting (pictured in 2007  in the Disney Channel show The Wizards Of Waverly Place)

‘Then adding a lot of pressure from a lot of people didn’t help me develop a sense of self in my twenties. 

‘It was a very difficult time.’

Selena added to the publication: ‘I live with it every day. I try my hardest to stay positive about everything and focus on things like this [movie] that really make me happy.

‘But I would just say maybe wait and have a little bit of a life.’

Selena has been vocal about her struggles in the spotlight in the past.

In 2021, the singer lamented that she ‘signed my life away to Disney at a very young age, so I didn’t know exactly what I was doing, I was just running around on set, and now I feel like a sponge and I soak up all the wisdom that I can.’

In a later chat with the Radio Times, Selena went on to emphasis that she was ‘beyond proud of the work that I did with Disney as well. 

‘It kind of shaped who I am in a way’.

Selena revealed in an interview with Elle  that there were ‘a lot of things that I felt stunted by’ 

She told the publication that ‘pressure from a lot of people didn’t help me develop a sense of self in my twenties’ 

After starring in Another Cinderella Story, Ramona and Beezus, and Monte Carlo, Selena moved onto more mature projects such as Spring Breakers and Only Murders in the Building. 

Revealing the hardest acting job of her career to date, Selena added to Elle: ‘The most challenging one, because I was only 18 or 19, was Spring Breakers.

‘It was the first thing I did right after my Disney show and it was such a crazy detour.

‘That’s when I knew I was going to fall in love with filmmakers and really gritty, fun stuff that was a little too graphic.’

Selena is among the famous faces listed in Elle’s 2024 Women in Hollywood honorees.

She features alongside Danielle Deadwyler, Cynthia Erivo, Karla Sofía Gascón, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore, Julianne Moore, Saoirse Ronan, Zoe Saldaña and Tilda Swinton.