EXCLUSIVE: 'Selena' Turns 20! Her Family Reflects on Movie & Legacy: 'In My Mind She's Still Alive'

ah [Music] it's the 20th anniversary of the Selena movie now as a young girl growing up with latina roots I remember the first time I saw Selena I was completely floored finally a pop star I could identify with she was bicultural she had curves she quickly became my favorite artist [Music] Selina's life was taken in 1995 when she was just 23 years old she had this beautiful personality and she had this amazing talent and combining all that together I think that that's why we're still talking about her and it's like all over again and it's a new generation embracing her I came to Corpus Christi Texas where the memory of selena quintanilla is still very much alive from the selena memorial statue to her gravesite to the Selena museum i sat down with Selena's sister Suzette and her father Abraham in their very own recording studio to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary and pay homage to Selena's life and legacy they mourned in Corpus Christi Texas today Selena's family her friends and her fans said farewell to the young woman who meant so much to all of them when she was gunned down Friday allegedly by her fan club president Selena was one of the biggest stars of the spanish-language music scene Selena passed in 1995 and the movie came out in 1997 that's a pretty quick turnaround why did you guys decide to do this so close to her passing I wanted the world to know about my kids my daughter just to make sure that Selena was portrayed in the right light in the right way and making sure that everything was based on on our life you know the true way I entertained tonight I'm Jennifer Lopez and you're on the set of Selena welcome I'll be playing if you haven't figured it out Selena you lived with Jennifer Lopez while she was preparing for this role what was that experience like what did you guys do day in and day out together we basically just hung out to prepare you know I did spend time with the family with Selena's family she asks a lot of questions how was is I how does she do this and we watched videos together I guess really just trying to vibe you know our family not just who Selena was as a person but I think us as a whole the first time you saw Jennifer in hair and makeup what was your reaction Wow she gave me chills when I saw her because I was with him when she walked out I literally like first blood second I thought it was my sister I mean the way she came out and when she came down the stairs she kind of like pushed her dress down the way my sis Derwood and it was she just looked amazing [Music] [Applause] there are so many scenes in this film that are just so timeless and so iconic but as a viewer I'm always wondering did that actually happen the washing machine seems is that something that your mom your wife actually taught Selina actually no okay what was true is that we would go as a family down by the water and we would you know hang out there and we've talked and just be a family basically and hang out by that - the water that is true the line anything for Selena's anything for Selena's anything for Selena Lena the nest this is what happened the driver kept insisting that he could pull the bus out and so finally out to him you know what if you wanna try go forward and I think it was about the fourth jerk is when they ripped the bumper off and everything like the movie they picked it up put in the back to their car he said he was gonna hang it up in his garage with a sign that says Salinas that's exactly like the movie were you genuinely shocked the first time you saw her on stage wearing a bustier yes of course I'm a typical Mexican father but it's the same thing as when I first saw my daughter's we'll make up as they go take that thing over right now and a week later but your wife really did help Selena make those yeah all the singers are doing it's a style that word bras yes Madonna Janet Jackson Paula Abdul please you helped me make it you helped awaken she always was very classy about it it was nothing you know vulgar I don't think that she ever portrayed it to be you know showy thwart with class always Selena and Kris starting to date their relationship is a big part of the movie talk to me about how you found out about it is you in him it's over you can't tell us what to do I can tell you anything I want to tell you you don't think I know who you are you have to understand my point of view how I see things I didn't know Kris that well what if he was a much of type I machista you know there has been incident like they they get married and say well you're not gonna say no more and all the work all the sacrifice that we're done will go down you were very sensitive about that scene the elopement scene in the film because you didn't want little girls watching it and getting any ideas I read it and I said I want this off I want you to check this out I said well Selena has a lot of young girls as fans and I don't want them to think that that's the right thing to do I feel bad you know that I was over strict too strict you know that I put her in that situation where she done that [Music] welcome to her family the decision to include her passing in the film why did you decide to do that we had to put that in the movie because it was a true happening you know she was killed we didn't go into details but we did show what happened to her Tejano superstar selena quintanilla perez has been shot allegedly by Yolanda Saldivar I think it was done tastefully it's definitely a hard thing to watch I remember my son I would never let him watch the ending and I hear that a lot from a lot of parents that they don't let their child watch the ending because they truly believe that Celine is still here it's very hard for us to even now to watch [Music] the only time I saw the ending was after the movie was finished and we were in it in one of the theaters at Warner Brothers and all the Warner Brothers people everybody was there the whole crew that done the movie I saw the whole ending and let me tell you it was very emotional because everybody was crying the first time I actually saw it complete was the actual um premiere I just kind of closed my eyes and try to zone out and it's very difficult and it brings back there's happiness clearly and in memories but there's also you know ultimately the fact that she's not with us anymore you would program emotionally and spiritually to accept that the older folks go first but when your child goes first it's a different kind of pain I know how difficult it is for my parents and I'm a mom now so early on when she passed away I heard a lot of people told would tell me like you know time heals your heart timing your heart and I I it was like I couldn't understand that and it's not so much that time comes your heart it's more that time helps you deal with what has been put in front of you your heart will never heal there's this emptiness should I say that's in the heart it doesn't get any easier it's just you just learned how to deal with it arm the way where I was raised is knowing that one day you know she'll be resurrected and we'll see her again in my mind she's still alive because you're getting involved with all her things and you know doing things for her everyday that sometimes I forget that she's not here with us anymore so in a sort of way it's hard to explain that in my mind she's alive make me cried that whoa is there anger clearly yeah there's anger I mean you cannot let that take over who you are and what's in your heart we do not speak of the person that really that took her life we do not give focus to that person at all it's all about Selena in our heart if you had the opportunity to talk to her one more time what would you say I would just hug her I wouldn't let her go [Music] how do you want her to be remembered as a given person sweet personality she was always happy that's exactly how people see her she's being remembered the way she needs to be remembered [Music]

Channel: Entertainment Tonight

Views: 3,448,981

Keywords: Jennifer Lopez, canción, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., selena singer, capitol latin, selena, selena quintanilla, exitos, éxitos, mex, selena anniversary, selena movie, quintanilla, selenamusic, texas, ET, selena jennifer lopez, obituary, jennifer lopez selena, Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, reina, entertainment tonight, 2017, behind the scenes, Selena, young jennifer lopez, tejano, ETonline, Marcella Samora, etonline, corpus christi, jlo interview, bts, como la flor, perez, jlo, music, álbum, et flashback, música

Id: VbR9iFwoXRA

Length: 9min 26sec (566 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 21 2017