Why Selena Gomez Didn’t Want to Sing and Dance on ‘Only Murders in the Building’
Mabel Mora singing and dancing? Selena Gomez didn’t see it happening for her Only Murders in the Building character. So much so that she “tried to get away with not doing it” in season 3 of the award-winning Hulu original series. Ahead, why she couldn’t picture Mabel singing and dancing, and what she liked about the scene.
Selena thought singing and dancing wasn’t something Mabel would do
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter ahead of season 4’s release on Aug. 27, 2024, Gomez discussed how she sang and danced, albeit very briefly, in the previous season.
A dream sequence of Oliver Putnam’s (Martin Short) had her onstage alongside Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin) and Oliver’s son, Will (Ryan Broussard)—in sequins and bowler hats—telling the musical director he had “too much stress.”
The short scene, which can be watched on YouTube, isn’t one Gomez was eager to film. “I tried to get away with not doing it,” she told the outlet. “But they really wanted a little thing.”
The reason, she explained, is that it didn’t sound like Mabel. “I just didn’t feel like it was my character,” she said. “I don’t think it would have made sense unless it was done in a very sarcastic, unprofessional way, for humor reasons. But in my heart, it just didn’t feel like that’s what Mabel would be caring about.”
Gomez ‘loved’ performing the short musical number
Ultimately, Gomez was happy with her performance, especially since it wasn’t very long. “I thought it was cute. I loved doing the number. But, yeah, I’m glad that I didn’t have to do a lot of that part of my life, which I already do enough of.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” she added, sharing she particularly loved her outfit. “I was like, ‘I might wear this [jazz outfit] to dinner with some cute heels!’ I thought it was such a look.”
The two-time Grammy nominee has released two stand-alone singles, “Love On” and “Single Soon,” since the summer of 2023. She’s also teased a new album. However, it could be a long time coming.
Gomez has said in multiple interviews that her current focus is acting. “I’m in love with this right now. I’m enjoying this,” she told Variety ahead of the Only Murders in the Building Season 4 premiere.
Steve Martin sang a patter song in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 3
Gomez isn’t the only one who has flexed her singing and dancing skills on Only Murders in the Building. So has Martin. His character, Charles-Haden Savage, performed a patter song called “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?” in season 3 for Oliver’s “Death Rattle Dazzle” musical.
But first, what’s a pattern song? Here’s how Charles described it early in the season: “Well, a patter song is a speed-singing, uh, information dump they always give to the guy who can’t sing. Uh-huh. It’s basically a rap.”
After some failed attempts, Charles finally nailed it in episode eight. “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?” even ended up on the show’s soundtrack along with Meryl Streep and Ashley Park’s “Look For the Light.”
Series co-creator John Hoffman told Variety that preparing for the patter song involved months of practice and lots of “one-sentence, anxiety-ridden emails” from Martin.
A new episode of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 drops every Tuesday on Hulu.
