Selena’s Sister Says Her Family Was “Forced” to Make the Late Star’s 1997 Biopic Two Years After Her Death

Beyond being known for Jennifer Lopez‘s breakout role, 1997’s ‘Selena‘ biopic remains a favorite among critics of the film genre for nearly 30 years.

But, according to the late Tejano Queen’s sister Suzette Quintanilla, the beloved movie wouldn’t have happened when it did had the family not felt “forced” to rush it to theaters just two years after the singer was slain by her fan club’s president Yolanda Saldivar.

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Hot on the promo trail in support of the special 30th anniversary edition of Selena’s timeless posthumous album ‘Dreaming of You,’ Suzette dropped by the ‘On That Note‘ podcast helmed by Boyz II Men star Shawn Stockman.

When not revisiting Selena’s impact on the music industry, Suzette regaled with stories of the late singer’s childhood, admiration of Janet Jackson and Madonna, and the 1997 J.Lo-led biopic.

Speaking on the latter, Quintanilla reflected on the backlash her family received for greenlighting the movie so close to Selena’s 1995 death.

“We were forced to make the movie,” she revealed to the surprise of Shawn. “Literally months after she died, our lawyers got word that Hollywood was already going to start making a movie and if you don’t have control over your own, it’s going be whatever they want to put in it. So, that’s the only reason why my father [Abraham] had to make the decision to move forward and say ‘we’re doing this movie.'”

Later in the chat, Suzette reiterated the Quintanilla family was not interested in doing a biographical Selena film so soon.

“It wasn’t something that was on our radar at all; it was way too soon to be honest with you. It came out literally two years after she died, and there was criticism over that,” she said – reflecting on how they endured blowback for “being all about money.”

All-in-all, Suzette shared she was pleased with the Gregory Nava-directed film and does not think there’s anything she would change about the final product that went on to be a box office smash and unforgettable cinematic classic.

See the full interview here.

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