Selena Gomez, who stars in the upcoming Oscar-tipped operatic musical Emilia Pérez, said she understands that it is "hard" for people to take her acting seriously.
The US singer and actress rose to fame as a child star on the Disney series Wizards of Waverly Place, before gaining plaudits for her role in the Disney+ series Only Murders in the Building alongside comedy stars Steve Martin and Martin Short.
Gomez will next be seen in Emilia Pérez, a Spanish-language French musical following a Mexican Cartel leader (played by Karla Sofía Gascón), who asks a high-powered lawyer named Rita Moro Castro (Zoe Saldana) to help fake their own death and undergo sex-reassignment operations.
Gomez, who plays the drug lord's wife, Jessi Del Monte, appeared at Friday night's BFI London Film Festival gala screening of the film alongside her co-stars at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre in London.
"I think that my taste in film and working with filmmakers has evolved, and I only want to stretch more in that area," Gomez told the PA news agency on the red carpet.
"I know it's probably hard for people to take me seriously, I get why.
"But also at the same time, (director) Jacques Audiard saw something in me, and I then saw something in myself, and I am thrilled."
Gomez said she felt "really proud" to be involved in the Spanish-speaking project.
"I loved speaking in Spanish, and it felt like I could connect to the character in a totally deeper, meaningful way," she said.
"It means a lot that I can do that, especially given my culture, my background and my family."
Emilia Pérez will open in selected cinemas on Friday 25 October and will be released on Netflix on Wednesday 13 November.
Source: Press Association
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