Selena Gomez made her acting debut in 2002 in the children's television series ‘Barney & Friends.’ She played the role of ‘Gianna’ and remained a part of the show until 2004. She made her first big-screen appearance as ‘Water Park Girl’ in the 2003 3D spy action comedy adventure film ‘Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over,’ directed by Robert Rodriguez. The film received mixed response from critics and was a box office success. She was next seen in the 2005 made-for-television action film ‘Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire.’Â
In 2007, Gomez joined the main cast of the fantasy teen sitcom ‘Wizards of Waverly Place.’ Her performance as ‘Alex Russo’ in the series earned her several awards, including 3 ‘Teen Choice Awards’ and 3 ‘Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.’ The show aired its final episode in January 2012. She returned to the big screen with the 2008 teen musical comedy film ‘Another Cinderella Story,’ directed by Damon Santostefano. She played the role of ‘Mary Santiago’ which earned her a ‘Young Artist Award.’ She next appeared in films like ‘Horton Hears a Who!’ (2008), ‘Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard’ (2009), ‘Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds’ (2010), ‘Monte Carlo’ (2011), and ‘The Muppets’ (2011).Â
In the 2012 animated supernatural comedy film ‘Hotel Transylvania,’ Gomez voiced ‘Mavis Dracula.’ While the film received mixed response from critics, it was a massive box office success, grossing over $358.4 million against a budget of $85 million. In 2016, she starred as ‘Madison’ in the comedy film ‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,’ directed by ‘Nicholas Stoller.’ The film opened to mostly positive reviews and was a major box office success. She then starred ‘In Dubious Battle’ (2016), ‘Puppy!’ (2017), ‘Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation’ (2018), ‘The Dead Don't Die’ (2019), and ‘A Rainy Day in New York’ (2019).
In 2020, she acted in the fantasy adventure film ‘Dolittle,’ directed by Stephen Gaghan. The film was panned by critics and despite being one of the highest-grossing films of the year, ‘Dolittle’ was deemed a box office failure. Gomez is all set to appear in the upcoming computer-animated monster comedy film ‘Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.’ The film will be the fourth installment of the Hotel Transylvania franchise. She will also be a part of the upcoming film ‘In the Shadow of the Mountain.’