▲Before she became the pop-singing sensation she is today, Selena Gomez began her career as an actress at the wee age of 10 years old. The star is turning 27 this year, and her growth under the keen public eye has been enormous. Check out this gallery of all her on-screen roles that led up to her musical peak, and get a glimpse of the familiar star through a different lens.

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Gomez got her big break as Gianna on the well-known and beloved children's show alongside a big purple dinosaur.

(Photo: Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0)

▲Not many people know this, but Gomez had a role in a TV movie that starred none other than Chuck Norris!

▲In this TV short, Gomez plays Emily Grace Garcia, a book-lover who investigates some strange happenings at her local library and is thrown into a world of wonder.

▲Before she had her own Disney show, she appeared in an episode of Dylan and Cole Sprouse's show, in the episode 'A Midsummer's Nightmare.'

▲In a short TV movie about a former bachelor who must adjust to his new wife and her two kids, Gomez plays one of the kids, Alexa.

▲She plays the same character in another TV short, but this one centers on a handyman, who moves in with his sister to help take care of her kids.

▲Gomez was on a roll with made-for-TV films, including this one where she played Stevie Sanchez, a girl who is passionate about wildlife conservation.

▲In her first starring role, Gomez plays the part of Mary Santiago, the talented stepdaughter of a cruel pop star, who falls in love with superstar and heartthrob Joey Parker.

▲In this beloved animated film about an elephant who tries to protect a microscopic community, Gomez voices the part of Helga.

▲Gomez also appeared on Miley Cyrus' Disney show, where she played Mikayla, a rival pop star, for three episodes.

▲Before Gomez started churning out her own music videos, she appeared in the Jonas Brothers' video for their hit song 'Burnin' Up.'

▲Gomez and Demi Lovato costar in this movie where a princess must go into hiding in Louisiana and learn how to act like an ordinary teenager.

▲For five years, Gomez popularized the character of Alex Russo, the middle child of a family of wizards whose sass and irresponsibility won the hearts of viewers everywhere.

▲In the spin-off of 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,' Gomez appears on the Sprouse brothers' show again, but this time as her character from 'Wizards of Waverly Place.'

▲Alex Russo conjures a spell that puts her family in jeopardy in this TV movie spin-off.

▲In an even more legendary Disney crossover, characters from 'Hannah Montana' and 'Wizards of Waverly Place' gather on Zack and Cody's cruise ship.

▲Gomez voices the character of Princess Selenia, who Arthur must rescue from the nefarious Maltazard.

▲In Demi Lovato's Disney show, Gomez appears as herself, but her character is hired to play Sonny (Lovato) in a movie. Throughout the episode, the two real-life friends get to have some on-screen drama.

▲In this film about a young girl who uses her imagination to escape her reality, Gomez plays the older sister, Beezus.

▲Three young women take a trip to Paris but are whisked away to Monte Carlo after one of the girls, played by Gomez, is mistaken for a British heiress.

▲Gomez makes a cameo as herself in Disney's well-loved 'Muppets' film.

▲In a radically new role, Gomez plays one of four college girls who rob a restaurant to fund a spring break vacation full of drinking, drugs, and trouble with the law.

▲It's quite easy to recognize Gomez's voice behind the daughter of Dracula, and the star reprised the role in the subsequent sequels.

▲This young wizard stirs up some more trouble, but this time it's in Tuscany, Italy, and the problem is only herself!

▲Costarring alongside Ethan Hawke in this action thriller, Gomez plays the role of "The Kid."

▲Gomez stars in this film as Nina Pennington, a girl who embarks on a rock 'n' roll journey with a boy while she also deals with her overbearing boyfriend.

▲Showing her versatility on-screen, Gomez took on the role of Dot, a hitchhiking teen who gets picked up by a snarky disabled boy (Craig Roberts) and his grieving care-giver (Paul Rudd).

▲James Franco directed and stars in this film about an activist who gets caught up in the California labor movement during the 1930s, and Gomez appears in the role of Lisa.

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Woody Allen's upcoming film about a couple's rainy trip to the Big Apple is set to star the now-established pop star alongside Timothée Chalamet.

Selena Gomez on-screen: all her pre-pop star roles

The pop star turns 27 on July 22

19/07/19 por StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Television

Before she became the pop-singing sensation she is today, Selena Gomez began her career as an actress at the wee age of 10 years old. The star is turning 27 this year, and her growth under the keen public eye has been enormous. Check out this gallery of all her on-screen roles that led up to her musical peak, and get a glimpse of the familiar star through a different lens.