In 1997, Jennifer Lopez played the late singer, Selena Quintanilla, in the beloved movie Selena. This role launched Lopez into stardom, turning her into the household name she is today.
It is a daunting task to reprise a part that built a superstar. In this case, Christian Serratos— who plays Quintanilla in the new Netflix series, Selena—has to follow not only Lopez, but Quintanilla herself. However, Serratos is ready to bring Selena's story to new audiences, and she certainly knows the stakes.
"It’s so personal to me because I’m fully aware of how personal it is to all her fans," Serratos told Entertainment Weekly. "I feel this incredible sense of pressure, but good pressure, because if I needed any motivation to do my best in this role besides how much I love her, it’s because I don’t want to let anyone down. I know how deeply this woman resides in the hearts of so many.”
Not only is Serratos a Selena fan herself, but she also has some serious acting experience. Before binging the series, find out more about the woman behind the titular role.
Christian Serratos was a child star.
The California native began acting at a young age. Growing up in Pasadena and Burbank, Serratos began modeling at age seven. She then transitioned to acting, playing mean girl Suzie Crabgrass in the Nickelodeon young adult series Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, which debuted in 2004. A few years after the series ended in 2007, Serratos took on the role of Angela Weber in the three Twilight Saga films.
She is a regular on The Walking Dead.
The now 30 year-old actress first appeared in the post-apocalyptic horror series during the show's fourth season, playing Rosita Espinosa. She became a series regular during season five, and appeared all the way through the ninth season, which she left early to film Selena. She later returned for the show's tenth season.
Serratos appreciates how much she learned from the show. “I wasn’t given a lot of responsibility initially [on ‘The Walking Dead’], but it taught me so much,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “It taught me to create moments where there aren’t moments. It taught me to appreciate having no dialogue and no moments on paper. You had to figure out what those were. And it also taught me patience and grace... so when I was given the opportunity to show what I had, I knew how to get there.”
The actress is a big Selena Quintanilla fan.
The role of Selena Quintanilla holds particular weight for Serratos, who grew up loving the pop star.
“I’ve been listening to her since I was way below single digits,” Serratos told People. “'Baila Esta Kumbia’ [which appears on Quintanilla’s 1990 'Ven Conmigo' album], that was my song as a baby. Then it became my karaoke song as a teenager. I’ve always looked up to and really admired her, but I never thought I would have the opportunity to play her.”
Serratos was originally intimidated by the role, given Quintanilla's widespread admiration and the sensitivity surrounding the singer's untimely death—"the concept of it coming out really terrifies me," she told the L.A. Times. Nevertheless, she took the plunge, and received some help from Quintanilla's family.
“Having Suzette and the Quintanilla family on board was a huge gift,” Serratos said to EW. “The series is going to be very eye-opening for people because we’re showing so much more of Selena’s life that we learned because of them.”
Selena: The Series premiered December 4 on Netflix.
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