Who does Selena Gomez play in Monte Carlo? Singer learned to play polo and 2 kinds of British accents for the role

Selena Gomez started her acting career at 10 with her role as Gianna in Barney & Friends. While Barney set the foundation, Gomez went on to become a Disney icon and picked up more mature roles, such as in Spring Breakers and Monte Carlo.

Monte Carlo is a rom-com that follows Grace (played by Selena Gomez) on a European adventure, where she is mistaken for Cordelia, a British socialite, also played by Selena Gomez. Apart from working on her acting skills, to play the role of a socialite, Gomez had to learn to play polo and two types of British accents. Monte Carlo was the first production at Origo Studios, a movie studio in Budapest, Hungary.

Gomez Visits KISS FM. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

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Selena Gomez learned to play polo and two types of British accents for her role in Monte Carlo

Selena Gomez "Monte Carlo" Mall Tour, Mall of Georgia -Village Amphitheater. (Image via Getty)

Released in 2011, the movie follows the life of Grace (played by Selena), a waitress who, after saving her pennies and graduating from high school, travels to France and then Monte Carlo. She is accompanied by her eager friend Emma (Katie Cassidy) and her older stepsister, Meg (Leighton Meester, from Gossip Girl).

Things become interesting when Grace is mistaken for a British socialite, Cordelia. Instead of hiring a stunt double, Gomez decided to undergo training to play polo as part of her role.

The Budapest Reporter spoke to Gábor Szegedi, the founder of La Ballena Polo Club in Budakeszi to gather insight on training Selena Gomez. When the reporter asked about the experience with Gomez, Szegedi reported,

"As I got to know Selena Gomez was the bigger name in the industry, but she was very down to earth and easy to work with."

Szegedi emphasized "trust" being a crucial factor in the training, since it was the first time the Love On singer and her co-actor, Pierre Boulanger was learning the sport. He added,

"I was always next to them and especially Gomez as she wouldn’t get on the horse without me being by her side."

Additionally, the Only Murders In The Building celebrity underwent vocal training in two British accents.

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Other fun facts about filming Monte Carlo

"Emilia Perez" Red Carpet - The 77th Annual Cannes Film Festival. (Image via Getty/ Pierre Boulanger)

It seemed that the Monte Carlo cast had a lot of fun while filming the movie. Gomez told MTV News that she experienced a few perks while filming as an heir. She said,

“We rented out the Eiffel Tower, no big deal.”

It was the first time the Wizards Of Waverly Place alum visited her film locations, including Monaco and Hungary, apart from France. Gomez told MTV,

“It was really cool to experience all those places for the first time.”

Additionally, Who Says by Selena Gomez and The Scene is also used in the film. Interestingly, the role was originally designed for Nicole Kidman. According to M Live, Gomez revealed that the movie is inspired by the book, Headhunters by Jules Bass. She explained that the book was geared toward "older women". Gomez added,

“But when Fox (Fox 2000 Pictures) got a hold of it, they decided to make it younger. Nicole still wanted to be involved, so she became a producer.”

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Gomez is preparing to play Linda Ronstadt, Grammy award winner and rock and country musician in an upcoming biography.