Selena Gomez says she may not "ever go back to music" after having such good experiences with acting in recent years, especially in her latest film, "Emilia Pérez."

Gomez, 32, shared her perspective during a moderated conversation at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Sunday, revealing she is "ready to just focus on" acting after starring alongside Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón in the Spanish-language musical "Emilia Pérez."

"I think film and art-making and being around such incredible, talented people that have done nothing but uplift me along the way... I don't know," Gomez said. "It's going to be very hard for me to ever go back to music after this."

The Netflix film received 13 Oscar nominations, and Saldaña Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards for her performance, though controversy around the film's awards campaign was recently stirred after Gascón's old social media posts received renewed attention.

"The director [Jacques Audiard] just really trusted me and I was so grateful because I've gotten to show people that I am capable of doing more. I hope that this is just the beginning for me," Gomez said.

When it comes to music, Gomez most recently released the single "Love On" in 2024, but she got her start as a child actor on the TV series "Barney and Friends." She went on to gain fame starring as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel sitcom "Wizards of Waverly Place." Gomez was also instrumental in bringing about the 2024 reboot, "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place," serving as executive producer and appearing as a guest star. She's also received accolades for her starring role on Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building," alongside Martin Short and Steve Martin.

Gomez revealed she has only seen "Emilia Pérez" once all the way through, at the Cannes Film Festival last year, and quit an attempt to watch the movie with her family.

"I watched in Cannes and then I started to watch it with my family and I got nervous and you know because my grandparents were seeing me say some stuff, and I was like, 'OK,' " Gomez said. She said her grandparents continue to "casually throw [the movie] on in the background."

"But it was beautiful. I get very weird watching stuff sometimes, but I couldn't have been more proud," she said.

-- With reporting by TMX

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Selena Gomez