In an exclusive interview, Flickering Myth sat down with Zara Jirgis to talk about acting, and playing a young Selena Gomez…
Hi Zara Jirgis, welcome to Flickering Myth! Was it always your dream to be an actor?
Hi! So, I was in pre-school when the mother of a classmate told my mother that I should be doing modeling and acting because of my unique exotic look, that I look just like a child version of Disney’s Princess Jasmine. My mother submitted my photos and video to a kid agency that same day and signed up immediately. I began getting auditions right away and booked my very first modeling job at the age of 4 years old from my first audition! It was for the Disney Princess “Dream Big Princess” campaign. From then on, I began modeling for Disney as — you guessed it- Princess Jasmine for several years and became known as Princess Jasmine. Then I began booking commercials and shows that are all part of Walt Disney.
Can you tell us about your role in the Selena Gomez Artist Spotlight episode?
Yes, I play young Selena Gomez in the Artist Spotlight, which is a mini documentary of Selena Gomez which gives insights on her Mexican heritage, her family life, and the inspirations behind her new all Spanish EP Revelación. It pretty much shows her throughout her life from a little girl to a pre-teen to an adult.
You are so young and have already accomplished so much. Did you have to do anything special to get into character?
Thank you! Yes, I did actually. I watched several music videos of Selena Gomez’s and video clips of her to get to know her more. It was important to me to understand how she moved and her different mannerisms.
What was it like to film with Selena Gomez?
It was such an amazing experience, Selena Gomez and everyone who worked on this project were all very kind and humble. I would love to work with Selena Gomez again.
Which actors/directors would you like to collaborate with in future?
I would love to be able to work with Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott, along with director Guy Ritchie. Especially on the upcoming live action Aladdin 2 movie they’re doing. Also, I would absolutely love to work with Rami Malek, he’s such a talented actor!
Any upcoming projects?
I do have a feature film I’ll be in but am unable to disclose information about it so stay tuned!
If you had one message to give to your fans, what would it be?
Don’t ever give up. Just because you get a “no” does not mean that you won’t ever get that “yes”. Don’t ever let that “no” knock you down!
What’s the best way to follow you online?
You can follow me on IMDb, Instagram: @ZaraJirgis and Facebook: @ZaraJirgis
Our thanks to Zara Jirgis for taking the time for this interview, we can’t wait to see what she does next!