In the entertainment industry, where art and reality are often blended, the distinctions between actors and their characters are frequently blurred. Although method acting is praised as a way to deliver genuine and compelling performances, it can occasionally err on the side of discomfort, as Selena Gomez discovered while shooting Spring Breakers.
James Franco played the eccentric and unstable drug dealer (Alien) in Harmony Korine’s film, and it was undoubtedly memorable. He appeared to have pushed the limits of professionalism because of his dedication to his job. According to reports, the 127 Hours actor’s invasive approach to the development of his character left Gomez feeling extremely unsettled.
Selena Gomez’s Unpleasant Encounter During The Filming Of Spring Breakers
As method actors strive to become completely absorbed in their roles, the line between the character and the actor’s own personality is often blurred. Because of James Franco’s intense commitment, Alien became a part of him even outside the camera lens.
He obviously took his role in Spring Breakers very seriously, at least in the opinion of his co-star. During a visit to The Late Show with David Letterman, Selena Gomez once made fun of Franco’s choice to remain in his drug dealer character on the Spring Breakers set:
“He stayed in character the whole time and luckily for me, my character was creeped out by him, because I genuinely was at first.”
The Heart Wants What It Wants singer went on to say that after getting to know Franco, they actually got along well. She stated:
“We shot the movie for four weeks, then he came in and walked on set as his character and freaked me out. That’s who I knew, until we started doing press and I realized he’s one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met.”
The actress, 31, went on to appreciate his work and abilities:
“He’s really nice, I promise. He’s great.”
Selena Gomez got ‘Awkward’ With Her co-star in Spring Breakers
The emotional strain of shooting the Muse Productions film took a toll on Selena Gomez during a pivotal scene with James Franco. She described the following scene from the movie to MTV News:
“There is a scene in the movie where James and I have a confrontation — a very awkward, uncomfortable confrontation. And I knew about that scene two minutes before we shot it. I was supposed to be finished for the day. We had finished the crying scene. I was in the pool house and I was bawling and I was so tired of crying because you get exhausted from crying. I was like, ‘Oh, I’m done’.”
But the day was not quite done yet. The Lose You to Love Me singer added:
“[Director] Harmony [Korine] pulls me aside, and he goes, ‘All right, so we’re gonna do a scene in here with you and James.’ And he goes, ‘He’s going to convince you to stay with the girls.’ and I go, ‘OK, well, what do I say? Am I sad? Am I mad? Am I scared?’ And he goes, ‘Sure.’ And I was like, ‘Well, wait a minute. What’s happening?’”
The heated exchange fuelled the scene, which ended with Gomez getting quite emotional. She shared during her interview with MTV News:
“It was just my job to kind of give it back to him, but there was a point where I couldn’t handle it anymore. It was like I was going head-to-head, and I bowed down. It was too intense. So that one is probably my favorite scene in the movie, it was just so great.”
Gomez needed a moment to gather herself even after the cameras stopped recording. Fortunately, Franco was there to help her as she recalled:
“I was shaking. I think we did the scene three times. We only did it three times, but I was shaking at the end. And I remember James just gave me a big hug and he was like, ‘You did it. You were amazing.’ I was like, ‘Oh, thanks.’ I was so exhausted and the whole day was such a stressful day for me that it was great.”
Considering its limited budget, Spring Breakers’ global box office receipts of $31 million were a resounding success. Along with Gomez and Franco, the movie also starred Gucci Mane, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, Vanessa Hudgens, and Rachel Korine.
You can watch Spring Breakers on Max, DIRECTV, and Amazon Channel.
