Six years ago, Selena Gomez began a change in her life after suffering a great physical and emotional crisis. She was diagnosed with lupus, depression, and anxiety and even had a kidney transplant in 2017.

Now she reveals it all in her documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, which premiered at AFI Fest and is now available on the Apple TV digital platform.

The production is directed by Alek Keshishian, a filmmaker who worked with Madonna on the documentary, Truth or Dare.

In Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, the actress of Hispanic descent shows the daily journal of her personal and professional life in recent years. Her fears, anxieties and doubts that she has regarding how she is living her life and the way she behaves with others.

Selena even makes several trips to her native Grand Prairie, Texas, to rediscover her roots. There, in her hometown, she finds some peace by visiting old friends with whom she lived important moments in her childhood.

The documentary is about a new Selena who is grateful to her fans and her family for helping her get ahead in these uncertain times. We chat with Selena Gomez on the red carpet of the AFI Festival.

How did the idea of ​​making this documentary come about?

At first, the intention was to make a documentary about my tour. But when the tour was going on, a lot happened in my life and I needed to stop to ask for help.

When we started filming in Kenya and during my travels in Paris and London, I recognized that what was happening to me was more important than me, and something I needed to share to help people.

What do you want the public to learn from this documentary?

I hope that people start talking, that they have a conversation (about mental health), and that at the end of watching the documentary, they talk about something that happens to many people around the world and that if they need it, they seek help from a friend or someone they know.

I hope that people know and learn more about what they are experiencing.

Why is it important to talk about mental health?

We live in one of the darkest times we have ever experienced. After COVID, during the pandemic, people became depressed and isolated for the first time. All these things happened and it is important to talk about them.

It was the first time many people were experiencing all these feelings.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making this documentary?

Opening my personal life was a great challenge but I feel that thanks to that, I managed to heal. The other day, they asked me if I hadn’t revealed much about my private life and I’m not going to lie, sometimes it scared me, but at the same time, if my experience helps others, it would be incredible.

My desire is to have a connection and to help others.

What message would you send to all those young women who want to have a career like yours and be famous?

For me, the most important thing is that they know what they are getting into because intelligence eliminates fear and so you can understand yourself more. That is the goal and that is what I am going to do every day for the rest of my life.

I don’t know if I can give advice. The only thing I have to say is, to thank all my fans for all the support they have given me during this time. They have given me a very big responsibility and every day, I try to be a better person. We must always give our best.

How did you decide on Alek Keshishian as the director?

I met Alek before seeing Truth or Dare. I worked with him on my Hands to Myself video. At first, as I mentioned, we thought of making a documentary just about the tour but things happened that changed the whole idea of ​​the work.

I felt very comfortable with Alek, and very happy with his work. We get along really well.

How do you identify with your Latin roots?

I love who I am. In fact, I love where and how I was born and of course, I am very proud of my roots.

 

Translated by Mario Amaya