Selena Gomez knows it’s impossible to fully outrun your past.
It’s been over 10 years since Wizards of Waverly Place—the show that really put Selena on the map—aired its final episode on Disney Channel, but the Selena + Chef star admitted that while she mostly manages to focus on the future, it’s not always possible.
“I definitely feel free of it,” Selena told Vanity Fair in an interview published Feb. 15. “Sometimes I get triggered. It’s not that I’m ashamed of my past, it’s just that I’ve worked so hard to find my own way. I don’t want to be who I was. I want to be who I am.”
Selena explained that growing up as a Disney star—she was only 15 years old when Wizards of Waverly Place premiered in October 2007—led to a very specific, curated upbringing.
“I wasn’t a wild child by any means, but I was on Disney, so I had to make sure not to say ‘What the hell?’ in front of anyone,” Selena said. “It’s stuff that I was also putting on myself to be the best role model I could be. Now I think being the best role model is being honest, even with the ugly and complicated parts of yourself.”
