Ashley Benson Felt She ‘Had to Mother’ Selena Gomez
It’s been a while since fans have seen Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson together. The pair, who both grew up in the entertainment industry, have crossed paths a time or two. In fact, Benson actually dated one of Gomez’s best friends and fellow co-stars, Cara Delevingne, for about two years. However, Gomez and Benson had a friendship years before Benson’s romance with the English model.
Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson became fast friends after they were cast in ‘Spring Breakers’
Back in 2012, Benson and Gomez both starred in Spring Breakers alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Rachel Korine. The film followed four college students who head to Florida for spring break. Whilst there, the four women have their fair share of wild adventures, some of which will change the course of their lives. Gomez has been candid about the fact that she loved working with her fellow co-stars, and that they really bonded while making the film.
“To be honest, I didn’t know them as well, so I was a little nervous, at first,” Gomez shared with Collider about working with Benson and Hudgens. “But, I got really lucky. You put four girls in a movie, and it could be crazy, but they were so sweet, and we had the best time. It was important for the movie that we were friends, as well.”
The ‘Pretty Little Liars’ alum felt protective of the ‘Only Murders in the Building’ star
While the women developed fast friendships, Benson admits that she felt a bit protective of Gomez. A veteran of the Disney Channel, Spring Breakers marked Gomez’s first foray into more adult content. And while Gomez knew what she signed up for, Benson revealed that Gomez brought out her maternal instincts. While speaking with Complex, the Pretty Little Liars alum gave an anecdote about a time she got protective of Gomez while they were shooting the A24 film.
“The four of us were filming this motel party scene and we had to observe what was going on and be in character,” Benson explained. “My and Vanessa’s characters loved to party, so we couldn’t do anything to break that persona. But I remember looking over to the floor at these two girls rolling around and making out completely naked. At that moment, I literally closed Selena’s eyes. I felt like I had to mother her.”
Gomez called Benson and Vanessa Hudgens her big sisters
Considering that the famous actors aren’t far apart in age, it’s interesting that Benson felt so protective over Gomez. In fact, Benson is actually exactly five days younger than Gomez’s best friend, Taylor Swift. Benson’s birthday is December 18, 1989. Meanwhile, Gomez was born on July 22, 1992. Since the pair are less than 2.5 years apart, it’s a bit funny that Gomez made Benson feel maternal.
But while Gomez may not have felt like Benson was her mom, she did view the 13 Going on 30 alum like another family member. Back in 2014, Gomez posted a photo of herself, Benson, and Hudgens to her Instagram page. “Rachel, where are you?” Gomez captioned the photo of her embracing her former castmates. “Reunion with my big sisters for life.” Clearly, Gomez bonded with her Spring Breakers castmates. Only time will tell if they ever work together again.
