CANNES, France (Reuters) — Selena Gomez expressed her relief as attention shifted towards her role in the new Mexican cartel musical “Emilia Perez” rather than her personal life, the singer told Reuters on Sunday.
“It’s a relief. I’d rather somebody say I did a terrible job than talk about my personal life. So, I feel very proud,” Gomez said at the Cannes Film Festival a day after the premiere of the film, which received a standing ovation for nine minutes.
The former Disney star added that she made up just a small part of the “incredible masterpiece” that is “Emilia Perez,” which also stars Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofia Gascon.
The film directed by Jacques Audiard, which revolves around a Mexican drug lord transitioning from male to female and establishing a nonprofit dedicated to locating the bodies of missing persons, is in contention for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or.
Gomez, who also stars alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short in the Hulu streaming series “Only Murders in the Building,” holds the title of the most-followed woman on Instagram with 428 million followers.
Such a vast following subjects her life to intense public scrutiny and leads to headlines speculating about her personal relationships, as well as her mental and physical health.
The singer, who has openly discussed her struggles with lupus and bipolar disorder on social media, recently revealed on broadcaster NBC’s “Today” show that she has chosen to limit comments on her account to only friends as a way to establish boundaries.