Selena Gomez wants to be remembered for her “heart.”
Over the past decade, the 29-year-old performer has had overcome some pretty big challenges in her life – and it’s only made her stronger. The one thing that’s kept her going? Her desire to be able to help other people.
In her cover story interview for Elle’s September 2021 issue, Selena opened up about dealing with the obstacles that came her way.
“My lupus, my kidney transplant, chemotherapy, having a mental illness, going through very public heartbreaks—these were all things that honestly should have taken me down. Every time I went through something, I was like, ‘What else? What else am I going to have to deal with?’” she told the magazine.
Telling herself “You’re going to help people,” was what pushed her to keep going. “There could have been a time when I wasn’t strong enough, and would have done something to hurt myself,” she added.
Selena has undoubtedly made her mark across the entertainment industry – from music to TV and films – and she’s fast making a name for herself as an entrepreneur with the launch of her beauty brand Rare last year. However, she’s also adding another aspect into her endeavors.
“I’m like, ‘I’ve got to do something [more]. After I’m gone, I want people to remember me for my heart,’” she shared, explaining, “Everything that I’m attached to has a charity aspect. If something good isn’t coming out of it, I’m not going to do it. I don’t need money, I need people who want to fight with me.”
Case in point, her cooking show, Selena + Chef, donated to a different charity in each episode.
While Selena previously revealed that she was contemplating quitting music, it appears she’s given the matter some more thought and decided she’s not yet done proving herself as a music artist. But she’s not out for the accolades either.
“I don’t think I’ll ever quit making music…I’m not saying I want a Grammy. I just feel like I’m doing the best I can, and it’s all about me,” she said elsewhere in the interview.
However, she does admit that instances of not being taken seriously as a musician, “sometimes, that can really get to me,” explaining, “You’re pouring yourself out.”
Selena recently got to work with two legendary actors – Steve Martin and Martin Short – in the upcoming series Only Murders In The Building.
“I got to be in a space with so much wisdom,” she told Elle of working with her co-stars. “They became my uncles.”
While she learned a lot from her veteran co-stars, she was also able to return the favor – by giving them some quick lessons in the latest pop culture developments.
“There was a line in the script that said, ‘She’s an OG.’ And Steve walked up and said, ‘Can somebody tell me what OG means?’” she shared. “I started dying laughing.”
In another interview with Entertainment Tonight, Martin also revealed, “And, you know, she tells Steve lyrics to ‘W.A.P.'”
“Why did you say W.A.P? It’s WAP,” Selena jokingly corrected him.
“Why can’t you say W.A.P?” Martin asked.
“‘Cause that’s not what they say,” Steve told him.
“That’s not what the kids say,” Selena chimed in.
And in case anyone was wondering if her older co-stars ever learned the meaning of the NSFW word, Selena says she “certainly did” explain it to them.
The three enjoyed a light-hearted bond throughout filming.
“I think every time the three of us went back to our little holding area, and read the news from each other’s phones and laughed,” Martin shared.
Selena also says she “had a great time” working alongside the two comedic geniuses.
“As you can tell, I can barely keep a straight face,” she said, later adding, “They’re legends in their own right, but they’re good people, humble, funny, kind and professional, and it was just the best.”
