selena talks acting and rudderless:

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Rudderless, the feature directorial debut of actor William H. Macy, follows Sam (Billy Crudup), a man whose life is torn apart by the sudden death of his son. He passes his days by drowning his pain in alcohol, until he discovers a box filled with his son’s demo tapes and lyrics, and he begins to reconnect with his son while exploring his unknown talent. When he learns and decides to play these songs in a local bar he catches the attention of a young musician named Quentin (Anton Yelchin), and the two decide to form a rock ‘n’ roll band called Rudderless. At the film’s press day, actress/singer Selena Gomez (who has a small but pivotal and emotionally impactful role in the movie) spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about what attracted her to this project, how she could understand and sympathize with the scrutiny her character was under, working with a director with an acting background, and sharing scenes with Billy Crudup, who she had a crush on from Almost Famous. She also talked about how Hotel Transylvania 2is developing, where she’d like to go next in her career, getting a better idea of who she is as an actress and singer, her desire to move into the next phase musically, why she loves performing at concerts for her fans, and what the first concert she went to meant to her. Check out what she had to say after the jump. Collider: How did this come about for you? SELENA GOMEZ: Bill [Macy] actually saw my performance in Spring Breakers, so they sent the script to my team. Within the first 20 pages, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it, just simply because I always want to push myself, even though I'm not in the entire thing. My friend Taylor says, "If you're the smartest person in the entire room, you're in the wrong room." As an actress, I just want to be a sponge. I respect Felicity [Huffman] as a woman in the industry, and I think her and Bill are such great examples. And I had a huge crush on Billy [Crudup] because of Almost Famous. Honestly, it was really a dream come true. Shooting it was extremely emotional, and that element of it was interesting. I had felt what she was feeling because I'm her age. I know that dealing with your emotions right now is so awkward because you're not quite sure. So, there's all this stuff happening, and then you add a tragedy that I literally couldn't imagine. It was pretty heavy, but I think she was an important part of telling that story. Even though it's a much more tragic and extreme situation, were you able to understand and sympathize with what this character must have been dealing with, under such scrutiny from the public and the media? GOMEZ: Totally. I couldn't imagine it being like that, though. I feel like, with those kinds of situations, everyone has to deal with it, in their own way. It is different when it's my family, and people are discussing that. I can't help but think it's unfair because they've never been put in that position. I do what I do, so I know that it comes with it. For me, I just have to deal with it. I think even the people who read that stuff don't believe it. They want to comment and say things, but I think they know. It's pretty obvious. Did you have any idea, when you did Spring Breakers, that it would lead to such different kind of work? Is that what you were hoping for with it? GOMEZ: Yes. First, I just wanted to do something different, and my mom was a huge Harmony [Korine] fan. For me, it worked out perfectly. I flew to Nashville and auditioned for the movie, and I really, really fought for it. Harmony believed in me and pushed me. And then, all this other stuff came along with it. It was really good. That transition is very awkward. I'm still going through it. It's not all good now. But, that was a huge part of why. I just had dinner with Harmony because he has a really special place in my heart for believing in me like that. Where do you want to go next with your career? GOMEZ: I had a whole transitional year. I moved out and bought my brand new house. It's the first time I've ever lived on my own. It's weird. It was a big year for me. So, the main goal is the feeling I had reading Spring Breakers and the feeling I had for Rudderless. I just don't want to sit down and talk about things that I don't care about. I want to just do movies that move me. Whether that's a comedy or a drama, I don't know. I've just been constantly reading scripts. After reading 20, I only liked two. That's just where I am. I'm fortunate to be able to actually go in an audition for some of these movies, but it's a whole other added pressure because I'm going out for these movies where they don't really want someone like me. And then, I'm in the room and, on top of it, they already feel like they think they know me, so there's this whole other thing that I'm battling. It's good, though. It's humbling me in a really wonderful way, and making me a better actress. I get so uncomfortable on auditions and I get nervous, so it's been good. We'll see. Whatever comes next, I'm waiting for it, and I can't wait. Are you doing Hotel Transylvania 2? GOMEZ: I've recorded a little bit of it. It's not all done, so I have to do more recording with Andy [Samberg] soon, which I'm super excited about. But as of now, we're just putting it down and seeing what happens. There's a few things that they're fixing, so we'll see. Do you love still keeping the younger audiences and fans, being involved with an animated film like that? GOMEZ: One of the proudest moments of my career, for me, was at the Toronto Film Festival because during the day, I premiered Hotel Transylvania and I had all of these kids running around, and then at night we premiered Spring Breakers. And then, that next week, my TV show reunion (for Wizards of Waverly Place) aired. And then, that next month, my single came out. For me, that was exactly what I want to be able to do. I want to do things that I love that reach different audiences. I started with kids, so I am obsessed with the little kid fans. I never want them to forget me. Do you feel like you know who you are now, as an actress and as a singer, or do you feel like you're still discovering that? GOMEZ: Honestly, I feel like I have a better idea. Now that I know I want to do things that I care about, the rest will come. I tend to not speak up as much, so saying no is rather difficult for me. The biggest step of being an adult is saying, "This is what I do like. This is what I don't like." Being yourself means certain people aren't going to like that. I'm still figuring it out and taking things day by day. Did you think about what kind of girl your character in Rudderless was, before this event happened and changed her, and what kind of relationship she had with Josh? GOMEZ: I feel like there's a moment, in every young girl's life, whether it happens with your family, or a tragedy or death in your family, or a relationship, where there's a turning point where you go from extremely hopeful and cheery to wondering whether you are okay with where you are. That's always awkward. Me and my girlfriends talk about it more than anything. Some days I wake up happy, but some days I don't. What does that mean, and where does it come from? I knew that she seemed like the kind of girl who was really distraught by this. I feel like she had no idea what he was feeling inside. She knew how to communicate through music, so she was extremely insulted when Billy's character did what he did. And then, she was not able to deal with her own stuff. It was really, honestly, extremely exhausting, at times. Certain stuff got cut out that was a little bit even more intense. She was very angry. It was liberating. She obviously has pain and anger, with good reason, but there also has to be a strength there, for her to survive, at all. Have you thought about how she turned out, after this? GOMEZ: There is a little bit of a time lapse, where she removes herself and she says she's removed herself. That will just always be a part of someone. It's almost like a first love. It will always be a part of you. Dealing with the loss of that will always carry on with her. In general, I think a lot of people can relate to that. These types of events happen all too commonly, and everyone can relate to them, in some way, even if you aren't personally connected. Do you remember the first time you heard about one of these events, and someone either committing violence or having it committed on them, and how it affected you? GOMEZ: Immediately, in my circle, no. That's a big part of why I can't watch the news. It's extremely unsettling. Certain people can be a little desensitized because of movies, and I'm totally a part of that world, so I understand. But when you're actually seeing what's happening, you can't help but be a little affected. Felicity [Huffman] made a really good point when she said that it's a community. We are all in this together. People assume it's happening to someone else, so it's really not going to get fixed, if it's not everybody coming in and being there and supporting each other and figuring out where it's stemming from. It's not very good to see. What did you learn from working with Bill Macy? As someone coming in to direct, who has acting experience, what was that like for you? GOMEZ: It was my first time working with a director who was an actor, so it was immediately different. He respected where I was, emotionally. It was more him helping me go through it, as opposed to telling me what to feel like and how it should be. Billy and Bill worked so well together that it was extremely fluid and very comfortable for an uncomfortable character. That's what I'm thankful for. What was it like to actually share scene with Billy Crudup, having had a crush on him? GOMEZ: It was so funny. This character, for him, was obviously very, very emotional, so I just respected him and his space. I got over it, after I spent some time with him, but I was very nervous. Honestly, he's very nice, extremely professional and very sweet.

elle - rudderless interview:

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In many ways, this year has opened a new chapter in Selena Gomez's life. After the musician and actress left behind her Disney image when Wizards of Waverly Place ended in 2012, she signed with Interscope Records and became the better half to a very certain pop star. And following her edgy role in last year's Spring Breakers, she's been actively searching for roles that challenge her as an actress and demand something of her emotionally. Her latest endeavor is a film called Rudderless, out today in select theaters and on-demand, which was directed by William H. Macy. In the movie, the 22-year-old plays the girlfriend of a college student who was killed in a school shooting. We recently spoke with Gomez in Los Angeles about dramatizing such a sensitive subject, shopping when the kids are at school, and her biggest red carpet fashion regret. Your part in this movie is significant but not particularly big. Why did you want to take the role? I'm in a very transitional period within my acting. I was accustomed to my show and some of the material I was doing – Ramona and Beezus, Monte Carlo. And I'm so proud of that. That's exactly the place I was in during that time. But when my series ended I knew I wanted to do something completely different. Spring Breakers happened. I worked super hard and fought for it, and it was incredible and did a lot for me. I got very lucky because [William H. Macy] saw Spring Breakers and saw my performance and sent this script he had been working on for a while. Within the first 20 pages I knew I wanted to be part of it. I knew it was a character that required a lot of emotional damage. And I wanted to learn from people like Bill [Crudup] and Felicity [Huffman]. How did you get yourself into that extreme emotional place? I had to definitely take some time. I would walk into a different room and put myself in that place. It is draining. I'm still stretching and figuring things out so I'm not the type of actor who can just turn it on. I needed to put myself in that place. After shooting one of the scenes that I did, Felicity came to my trailer and she gave me the biggest hug. It was so sweet. She was like, 'We'll get you some ice cream to take your mind off it.' The film is also about a school shooting, which is a really sensitive subject these days. What was your take on that? It is such a sensitive subject and to make a film about it is something else. So that's why you start with it and then it's more a story of redemption and hope. It is uncomfortable, but it's telling the story of what it's like dealing with it. I think, if anything, you walk out feeling a little bit better. So if you are going to address it, Bill couldn't have picked a better way to talk about it.

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