At a recent Zoom television press conference to discuss the upcoming 10-part Hulu series, Only Murders in the Building, Selena Gomez was asked if she was excited to team up with such brilliant comedic legends as Steve Martin and Martin Short. Gomez stared blankly and replied, “I had no idea who they were.”
As Martin and Short nodded solemnly in agreement, Gomez smiled broadly. “I’m kidding. Of course, I was so excited. I was very nervous, to be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. Sometimes I find that comedy people can sometimes be a little bit distant, so I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. And now I have these two crazy uncles in my life that basically give me boy advice and I sing rap songs to them.”
Martin nods again, “Naughty rap songs, I have to add.”
Short interjects, “And I think that, for me, what I love about the end-product of the show are the three different energies of the actors. I kind of play it very real. Steve goes way over the top. And Selena grounds everything in this kind of dry, hilarious delivery. And the combination, I think, is perfect. It was a dream to work with this brilliant, young lady.”
It is easy to understand Gomez’s original nervousness about working with two such established comedy pros. She readily admits she was launched into show business at too young an age. “I was a kid. I was just riding around on set.”
Born and raised in Texas, Gomez began her career at age 10, appearing on the children’s television series, Barney & Friends (2002–2004). In her teens, she rose to prominence for her role as Alex Russo in the Disney Channel series, Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012).
“I signed my life away to Disney at a very young age,’ says Gomez. “So, I didn’t know exactly what I was doing.” Whatever Gomez was doing, it was working. Following her turn on Waverly Place, she starred in ten films and released three albums with her former band. As of 2017, Gomez had sold over seven million albums and 22 million singles worldwide.
“Now, working with Steve and Martin and this whole crew has been a much different experience,” says Gomez. “The level of sophistication of the material is the reason why I first wanted to do this. I feel like a sponge, and I soak up all the wisdom that I can. It’s really nice to be back on TV and it’s nice to be cast as my actual age, which never happens.”
Gomez plays Mable Mora, a resident in an upscale West Side Manhattan apartment, who becomes allies with two strangers, fellow apartment residents Charles (Martin) and Oliver (Short). The three share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves involved in one when a grisly murder occurs inside their apartment building. The series was created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman. Martin, Short and Gomez all serve as Executive Producers on the project.
“I haven’t done a television series since The Wizards of Waverly Place,” said Gomez. “It has been a while, but how Steve and Martin lead a set is so commendable. They are so humble and kind. They are there till the very end and they’ve set such an example for me. I love the way they talk to people. I love the way that they just come to set and make everybody feel good and that makes me want to be like that and do that more. I’m just so lucky. I just sit down and laugh all day.”
One of the things that all three stars had to adjust to was shooting on the streets of New York with a constant swarm of paparazzi photographers taking pictures. “Yeah,” said Martin. “I mean, Marty and I can barely walk down the street, the paparazzi were so crazy. We actually had to throw Selena out there so we could get to our trailers.
“That’s right, said Short. “And for some reason, the paparazzi stayed with her and we got away.”
“Our plan worked,” quipped Martin. “I don’t know why.”
Short added, “We even turned to the paparazzi and said, ‘We’re leaving!’ They didn’t seem to care.”
Gomez smiled at this interplay between Martin and Short. She then added, “What I think is really special is that Steve Martin and Martin Short have a sense of humor that doesn’t exist anymore. I love that their humor is not typical, like, crass, or kind of dark. It’s very light, and I think for me, that was something that I really appreciated. But I have to be honest, I don’t know if I’m a good actor. I just do my job. And I just really hope that I can live up to these incredible people. I learned a lot from the first episode to the end. I even made a joke to John (Hoffman) that I now wish I could redo the entire first episode, because of how much I had developed by the end of the shoot.”
Martin concludes the interview session with, “I believe when Selena’s on screen, the show is suddenly elevated. It’s more mysterious, it’s more interesting. There’s an old cliché, the camera loves her. And I would say the camera likes me, and it’s fine with Marty.”Only Murders in the Building debuts on August 31 on Hulu.
Featured Photo: (Credit: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu)