Suzette Quintanilla Says Selena Biopic Was a Move to Protect Her Story

Selena’s family didn’t set out to make a movie. They were allegedly pushed into it.

Suzette Quintanilla, sister of the late Tejano icon, says the 1997 biopic wasn’t a passion project. It was a defensive move. While on the “On That Note” podcast with Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, Suzette revealed how the family was pressured into telling Selena’s story before Hollywood ran away with it.

“We were forced to make the movie,” she explained. “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 to be whatever they want to put in it.”

Still grieving from Selena’s tragic 1995 murder, her family wasn’t ready.

“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,” Suzette declared.

Some accused the family of chasing profits, but Suzette stands firm.

“My father had to make the decision to move forward and say, ‘We’re doing this movie,’” she added.

And it paid off at the box office. “Selena,” starring Jennifer Lopez, became a hit, landing the actress a Golden Globe nomination, and earned a spot in the National Film Registry.