The Emilia Pérez role is Gomez’s first in a Spanish-speaking part, but she told Variety that she spoke Spanish at home until she was 7 and grew up embracing her Mexican heritage with her father’s side of the family. The Wizards of Waverly Place alum also brought Spanish into her music in 2021, when she released the EP Revelación.

Selena Gomez has responded to criticism of her performance in the Netflix film Emilia Pérez. The musical comedy focuses on a mob boss who wishes to secretly transition and start a new life. Directed by French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, the film is set in Mexico and is in English and Spanish.