Selena Gomez | Interview

To most teens, Selena Gomez appears to have it all. The 18-year-old actress and singer just wrapped up four seasons on the popular Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place; she's gearing up for a summer tour with her pop band, Selena Gomez and the Machine; and she's promoting her latest movie, Monte Carlo, a teen rom-com also starring Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy and Corey Monteith, which opens Friday 1. (Gomez plays two roles: A Texas teen visiting France for the first time, and a young heiress who bears a striking resemblance to her. You can probably guess the plot from here.) Then there's the little detail about her personal life: Gomez, who's been linked in the past to Nick Jonas and Taylor Lautner,  is now dating none other than—insert squeals here—Justin Bieber. 

We sent 12-year-old TOC Kids junior reporter Mia Seeley to talk with Gomez last weekend, when Gomez was in town for a pre-Monte Carlo visit. They talked about traveling, making movies, singing and living in a world where thousands of girls have Bieber fever.

So, was filming in Monte Carlo a fun experience?
Yes, it was very fun. We actually shot most of this in Hungary, so I was there most of the time. A lot of the locations in Hungary look a lot like Paris and a lot like Monte Carlo, so we shot a lot of the things there. It's very beautiful as well. Paris was really quick, but very pretty. Monte Carlo was gorgeous.The beaches were pretty, the water was so clear, like you could see through it. It was beautiful.

What was it like playing a spoiled, rich heiress?
[Laughs.] Very fun! It was really fun just because it was different for me; I’ve never played something like that, so I had a great time. She was really fun. She was evil and it was great. 

How did you like working with the rest of the cast?
So great. The girls [Meester and Cassidy] were so sweet to me; they’re both older than me, so they were like big sisters to me and were very sweet and protective over me and gave me advice.So it was good.

There's a big scene in the movie where you play in a polo match. Did you know how to ride a horse or play polo before the movie?
No. The horse was really easy for me to pick up. I love riding horses.But polo I was horrible at! I did two weeks of training for it and it was just really hard for me to understand it and get it. I got frustrated really easily, so that wasn’t my favorite.

Where is your favorite place to travel?
So far my favorites have been Paris and London. It’s the environment. I feel very fancy. I feel like I can dress up every day and try really nice food and walk around. All of the desserts [in Paris] are amazing. I had incredible chocolate and cute little cupcakes.They’re really famous for that.You can gain a lot of weight there.