Selena Gomez admits she got cold feet before her 2022 documentary My Mind & Me premiered.
“I asked my team if it was possible to pull out,” Gomez, 32, told Vanity Fair in an interview published Monday, September 9. “Lawyers got involved, but we never took it to Apple because everything was locked. … When the movie came out, I didn’t look at anything for a few days, and then I was scared to leave the house.”
My Mind & Me was originally meant to capture Gomez’s 2016 Revival tour. Overtime, the project began to capture the singer’s struggle with mental health and the challenging side effects of her lupus diagnosis.
While the idea of having her personal story available for the public to consume was initially overwhelming, Gomez said she warmed up to the idea after fans began sharing similar battles.
“I just started to embrace it, and I felt like it was a really good thing,” Gomez said after being reminded she was not alone. “However, I like to remind people that that is definitely nowhere close to where I am now. My mind was not right and chemically imbalanced, and it was really difficult. People were calling me a victim. That frustrates me because being vulnerable is actually one of the strongest things you can do.”
As Gomez continues her personal journey with mental health, she feels confident that she has the tools and protocols to take care of herself. The Rare Beauty founder is also focused on the present and finding joy in what’s in front of her.
“I’m grateful every day,” she said. “And I have my days like everyone else, but I’m no victim. I just survived a lot. There isn’t a part of me that wants anyone to feel sorry for me.”
In addition to sharing her story through My Mind & Me, Gomez is also hoping to make a difference through the Rare Impact Fund. The philanthropic hub aims to raise $100 million for organizations dedicated to educating young people around the world about mental health and getting them assistance.
“I know it seems impossible,” Gomez says of the $100 million goal, “but it’s important to me because it’s a crisis. There are a lot of people from every part of the world dealing with so much who are not properly educated on it and don’t know where to go. I want it to be accessible.”
My Mind & Me is available to stream on Apple TV+.
