Interview: Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez

June 26, 2009

It's been a bit of a hectic year for Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, as the 16-year-old teen idols – and real-life best friends – have seen their fame grow exponentially. From their respective Disney Channel shows (Gomez's Wizards of Waverly Place and Lovato's Sonny with a Chance) to Lovato's starring turn in the Jonas Brothers' made-for-TV movie Camp Rock to their music careers, the pair has been going nonstop for the last 12 months. Their fans, meanwhile, can't seem to get enough; hardly a week goes by without Gomez or Lovato getting mobbed by eager admirers.

"It's strange and I'm still awkward with it," Lovato says. "It's definitely weird to walk into a place and have people know who you are."

But there is an advantage to sharing such a crazy life with an equally famous best friend, as Gomez and Lovato got to combine their personal and professional lives for their new made-for-TV movie, Princess Protection Program (airing June 26 on Family Channel). Lovato plays Princess Rosalina Maria Montoya Fiore, the soon-to-be ruler of the tiny nation of Costa Luna; when her country is invaded by an evil general, the princess must disguise herself as the cousin of Carter (Gomez), a tomboyish high school girl in Lousiana who is none-too-pleased about teaching her royal ward the ropes.

Strangely enough, it's Gomez who seems like the one who would struggle with her role. Smartly dressed and hair perfectly coifed, the teenager speaks with an air of confidence and maturity beyond that of most adults; it's difficult to imagine her as a rough, immature high school student. But Gomez quickly puts that misconception to rest.

"Power of hair and makeup," she insists, laughing. "Growing up, I was definitely more of a tomboy. I was one of the guys and had a lot of guy friends growing up. Not until recently did I become more girly, and dressing up and wearing heels."

In fact, she says, the hardest part of the movie was pretending that she had never met Lovato before.

"It was very strange, in the beginning of the movie, pretending like I had never met this person. It was like, 'This is so weird; it's Demi,'" says Gomez.

Adds Lovato: "It was pretty hard because we'd never really gotten into arguments before. I mean, of course we have arguments but we never antagonize each other like that."

Lovato admits to having her own problems playing Princess Rosalinda, though they had nothing to do with the character's royal heritage. Having been the victim of bullying earlier in life, the sweet-faced actress found herself extremely upset after filming one particularly grueling scene.

"There was a scene where I had frozen yoghurt spilled on me, and the director was like, 'Just go to that place you used to be,'" she remembers. "It was basically where the popular girls put me in the frozen yoghurt place to play a prank on me, and they unplug something and it goes everywhere, so I'm embarrassed by all the other teenage students. When I shot that scene, it was very, very emotional for me because it was a crying scene, but when the director yelled 'cut,' I couldn't stop crying."

Despite this, both girls are quick to praise the experience, describing their shoot in Puerto Rico as "easy" and "so much fun." Besides, any difficulties on set pale in comparison to the ceaseless media scrutiny on Gomez and Lovato's lives. Tabloid magazines and gossip sites speculate endlessly about whom the actresses are dating, whether it's Twilight's Taylor Lautner or one or all three of the Jonas Brothers. Such gossip comes with the celebrity territory, sure, but when Gomez and Lovato talk about it, it's suddenly obvious how young they really are.

"It bums me out because I am only 16, and I didn't really get into this industry for people who are interested in who I'm dating," Gomez says. "I love what I do and I love my job, so I always try to focus on that more. That does kind of bum me out that people have gotten so lost that and care more about who I'm friends with."

"It's hard when your face is in a magazine and to not read what they say about you, or when your face is on a blog," admits Lovato. "Especially me, being a perfectionist and taking things people say to heart, I definitely had to block all of that out and focus on what I wanted."

It's good to see that both girls have learned to develop such a thick skin, but at the same time, it's a bit heartbreaking that they even have to, at an age when they should just be enjoying a normal adolescence. But, naturally, both Gomez and Lovato easily bat away these concerns with characteristic optimism and good grace.

"I'm surrounded by adults 24/7 so I guess I am forced to mature a little quicker," Gomez says. "But when I’m with people like Demi or my family, I feel like I can be a normal 16 year old. I like to say I have a balance of both."

Adds Lovato: "I look at it as I'm given an opportunity that other people are missing out on. I'm very thankful to be here."