30 Things You Didn't Know About Selena Gomez

Despite being a megastar, there are still some surprising facts about the former Disney starlet.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Lately, we’ve seen two distinct sides of Selena Gomez. In Spring Breakers, out now in New York and L.A. (March 22 nationwide), she’s a gun-wielding, bong-smoking, bikini-wearing bad girl. On the flipside, Friday also saw the premiere of The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex, with Gomez returning to her wholesome Disney Channel roots.

And get this: the TV movie sees her character accidentally cast a spell that makes a “good” Alex and an “evil” Alex, who wants to take over the world. An awesome case of art imitating life, it would seem the spell is playing out in Gomez’s personality.

And yet, there’s more dimension to the 20-year-old Texas native beyond her nice and naughty moments. Get to know the girl in between with these 30 Things You Didn’t Know About Selena Gomez. 

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She used to help her dad pick up waitresses at Hooters.

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Her big break happened when she was 7, appearing in Barney and Friends.

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She used to film a YouTube show with Demi Lovato called "The Demi and Selena Show". Gomez met Lovato at a Barney audition, where they colored together while waiting in line.

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There is a video on YouTube of Gomez freaking out over meeting her crush, Shia LaBeouf.

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Gomez had her first kiss when she was 12 to actor Dylan Sprouse on his Disney show The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

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She was supposed to play the titular character in the Lizzie McGuire spin-off called What's Stevie Thinking?, about Miranda's younger sister, Stevie Sanchez, which was never picked up.

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She turned down a role in High School Musical 3 to pursue more serious projects.

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For Ramona and Beezus, she wore a sports bra for a flatter look.

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In 2005, she appeared alongside Chuck Norris in the TV movie Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire.

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She's obsessed with horror films, and it all started when her dad took her to see Seed of Chucky when she was nine. This year, she's making a cameo in director Eli Roth's new thriller Aftershock.

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While shooting the movie Monte Carlo, the cast filmed a scene where Gomez's character was graduating high school ironically on the day that Gomez actually graduated from high school.

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Her favorite films are The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.

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One of Gomez's favorite snacks is called Texas Popcorn, which is hot sauce drizzled on to the kernel and then dipped in pickle juice.

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Not being able to speak during an interview on Lopez Tonight, she communicated through a talk box the entire time.

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Gomez was named after Selena Quintanilla, the famous Latin pop star.

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Gomez's mother Mandy had her when she was 16, and then raised her as a single mom.

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She says she gets the acting bug from her mother who did local theatre in Dallas.

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She's said that she would've been terrified of her life if she stayed in Texas, noting that she would've probably had two kids at this point.

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Her father has a coffee mug with pictures of Selena and Tim Duncan on the side that he brings to work everyday with him.

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She formed her band Selena Gomez & The Scene, which is now broken up, with bands like Paramore and Fall Out Boy in mind.

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One of Gomez's obsessed fans got a tattoo of the actress' face on her thigh.

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With the help of Ryan Seacrest, Gomez surprise-visited a sick fan in the hospital. The fan, Hana Hwang, posted a "Thank You" video to Gomez.

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She participated in the Global Poverty Project's Live Below Campaign and lived off of $1.50 a day for one week while in Ghana with her mother and step-father.

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She used to wear a purity ring that said "True Love Waits."

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Gomez met Justin Bieber when she was 16 after his manager called her mom, who is also her manager.

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A few years ago, before Gomez and Bieber performed together on stage, Bieber asked Gomez to take her heels off because she was taller than him.

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When Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber were dating, they crashed a wedding party in Malibu and posed for the camera with the bride and groom.

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Behind the scenes of Spring Breakers, her co-stars had to teach her how to smoke a bong so she didn't look confused on camera.

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Gomez and her friends, including The Secret Life of the American Teenager's Francia Raisa, regularly film choreographed dance videos, including one to Taylor Swift's song "Trouble".

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She filmed a viral video covering "Call Me Maybe" with Ashley Tisdale and Justin Bieber.

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