Selena Gomez Is ‘So Grateful’ That Nothing Was Handed to Her
With a net worth of $95 million, Selena Gomez has certainly carved out a space for herself in the entertainment industry. In the last three decades, the pop star has made a name for herself as an actor, singer, and producer. She has also received a ton of attention for her philanthropy in addition to her cosmetics brand, Rare Beauty. But the road to stardom hasn’t been an easy one.
Selena Gomez grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas
Gomez may have a staggering net worth now, but she comes from humble beginnings. Hailing from Grand Prairie, Texas, the Only Murders in the Building star grew up without access to lots of money. In fact, her mother, Mandy Teefey, worked three jobs just to support her daughter. It was Teefey who first introduced Gomez to the world of acting because she’s a former stage actor herself.
The ‘Boyfriend’ singer started acting at a very young age
Barney and Friends was Gomez’s first professional gig. And while the “Love You Like a Love Song” singer loved working on the show, it didn’t win her any favors amongst her peers. Gomez was often teased in school for her work with the purple dinosaur. Still, she kept at her craft and eventually caught the attention of Disney. After attending a casting call in Austin, Texas, the Disney Channel flew Gomez to Los Angeles to film a pilot.
Disney helped boost the actor’s net worth and resume
Unfortunately, the pilot didn’t get picked up for production. However, the executives at Disney were still interested in Gomez. Soon the actor was slowly building both her net worth and her resume by guest-starring in other popular shows. Super fans of Gomez (often called Selenators) will recall seeing her in shows like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Hannah Montana. Eventually, Gomez landed a show of her own, Wizards of Waverly Place, which went into production and was a huge success.
Gomez still doesn’t have an abundance of acting opportunities even after the success of ‘Only Murders in the Building’
While at Disney, Gomez also launched her music career, which made her even more of a household name. Though she has starred in quite a few films during and after her Disney tenure, she’s become best known for her music. However, Gomez went back to her acting roots when she joined the cast of Only Murders in the Building. And while Gomez has received praise for her work on the Hulu comedy, she admits that people still aren’t beating down her door with acting opportunities.
“But I gotta be honest, after I did Only Murders, I’m not getting a lot of demanding phone calls,” Gomez explained on Awards Chatter. “But again, I am so grateful because everything that I’ve done, I’ve earned and I’ve worked really hard for. And I would never replace that for the world. If everything was handed to me, I guarantee you I would be a totally different person. And I‘ve seen that happen in people, and that’s so disheartening. So if anything, it’s like OK. I’m getting there.”
It certainly seems that Gomez will continue creating a name for herself in the industry. We’re sure her fans are looking forward to seeing what’s next for her in Only Murders in the Building Season 3 and beyond.
