Selena Gomez has opened up about feeling “triggered” by her Disney past.
The actor shot to fame as a child star in Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place, which she starred in from 2007 to 2012.
Since then, she has carved a career away from the studio thanks to roles in Spring Breakers and Only Murders in the Building. She also does charity work, and has her own clothing, handbag and fragrance lines.
Gomez says that while she “definitely feels free of” the Disney label, she “sometimes gets triggered”.
She told Vanity Fair: “It’s not that I’m ashamed of my past – it’s just that I’ve worked so hard to find my own way. I don’t want to be who I was. I want to be who I am.”
Gomez said the pressures of being “perfect” while working for Disney took its toll.
“I wasn’t a wild child by any means, but I was on Disney, so I had to make sure not to say ‘What the hell?’ in front of anyone. It’s stuff that I was also putting on myself to be the best role model I could be.”
She continued: “Now, I think being the best role model is being honest – even with the ugly and complicated parts of yourself.”
Gomez previously said she “lives with this haunting feeling that people still view me as this Disney girl”.
She sent her support to anybody starting out in the industry, stating: “All I can say is, I would love to be there for you if you ever have questions.
“But this industry is a beast. It’s really scary to see what happens when you’re given so much power and money at a young age. I think it’s extremely scary.”
Gomez will next be seen in the third season of comedy series Only Murders in the Building alongside Martin Short, Steve Martin, Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd.
Gomez, who is also a singer, was 15 when she first played Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place.
Before that, she appeared on Barney & Friends.
