AMERICANWAY

ITINERARY FROM LEFT: Leighton Meester, Gomez and Katie Cassidy in Monte Carlo Looking Back: City Slickers Twenty years ago, City Slickers struck box-office gold with the tale of three middle-aged men who embark on a Western adventure. Director RON UNDERWOOD admits to being initially intimidated by the late Jack Palance, who was cast as Curly, the tough ranch hand, after Charles Bronson turned down the role. Underwood shares with American Way a behind- the-scenes story that proves he had good reason.—J. Rentilly Selena Gomez may be done with high school, but she doesn’t feel like she’s graduated to being a grown-up quite yet. And the star, who plays dual roles in next month’s mistaken-identity comedy Monte Carlo, has her mom to thank in part for that. “Even on the red carpet, if I pass by someone without saying ‘hello,’ my mom will be like, ‘Selena, that was rude! Say hi,’” she says. “Everyone always laughs on set because she’s so parental. I’m 18, but sometimes I feel like I’m 15.” Not that she’s complaining. After all, it’s her tween smash Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place — which is now in the midst of its fourth season and will see the release of a second TV-movie version sometime in the future — that cemented her status as a superstar. But while Gomez loves her young fans, she admits that the title of “role model” is one she wears cautiously. “It is a scary thought to know that there are kids who have cut their hair like mine or want to be like me when they grow up. That’s a lot to take on,” she says. “I want my fans to know I’m not perfect. I’m human and I make mistakes. I’m growing up, and everything is a bit crazy for me.” Certainly, trying to have a romantic life adds to that craziness, especially when the names you’re linked to are ones like Taylor Lautner, Nick Jonas and, most recently, Justin Bieber. But Gomez does her best to ignore the Hollywood rumor mill — which she compares to a “giant Facebook” — and just go on living life. “I can’t let myself indulge in the tabloid stuff,” she says. “I don’t want to be that person that’s afraid to go get yogurt or go to the movies or just hang out. I know no matter what I do, there will be people that hate it and there will be people that love it. So I just have to decide to be myself.” “We were at a ranch we’d built in Abiquiu, N.M., getting ready to shoot Jack’s character’s introduc- tion to the boys, Billy [Crystal; below with Palance], Daniel [Stern] and Bruno [Kirby]. During our first rehearsal, Jack didn’t give a look over to Billy, which was needed to motivate Billy’s dialogue. When I asked Jack to glance over at Billy, Jack curtly responded, ‘I don’t do glances.’ I said, ‘Just a look will do,’ and he lashed out at me. The cast and crew edged out of the corral, leaving Jack and me alone to work out our differences. It was like high noon or something. When we finally shot the scene a little while later, Jack gave the look to Billy, and the scene turned out great. I think Jack was just testing to see how I would react to him. Later in the day, when we were sitting together, he nudged my leg with his cowboy hat and said, ‘First-day jitters.’ We were fast friends from that day forward.” Did You Know? The actor who plays Dustin Hoff man’s grandson in Barney’s Version (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment , $39), out June 28 on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, is Hoff man’s real-life son Jake. —Jessica Jones 14 JUNE 15, 2011 AA.COM/AMERICANWAY

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