Selena Gomez: I do what makes me happy

22 May 2013

Selena Gomez insists she didn't take a controversial movie role to try to change her image.

"Acting has always been my priority and if I am not pushing myself I'm not growing," she said.

The actress recently starred in Spring Breakers, where four friends end up in prison after robbing a restaurant to fund their summer holiday.

"I was aching for something that would be creative and artsy," she told Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Nick Grimshaw.

She added: "You know [it was] really different for me. I wish all my movies were like that."

'Controversial' role

The film, released in the UK in April, also features strong language, nudity and drug use.

"I get that it's started a little bit of controversy which is understandable but at the end of a day it's a character," she said.

The 20-year-old rose to fame as a teenager when she landed a role in Wizards of Waverly Place.

Gomez quickly became a star and also launched a music career.

"The bigger you get the more people are going to try and bring you down," she said. "I'm just trying to do what makes me happy."