Only Murders In The Building’s Martin Short Reveals The Concern He Initially Had About Working With Selena Gomez

From left to right: Press images of Martin Short and Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building.
(Image credit: Photo by: Patrick Harbron/Hulu)

Going into a new show, you never know what kinds of personalities you are going to work with. While Martin Short and Steve Martin have been friends forever, when they took their roles in Only Murders in the Building, they had never collaborated with Selena Gomez before. Considering her superstardom as an actress, singer and entrepreneur, Short recently admitted what he thought working with her was going to be like, noting a worry he had. However, that concern was quickly put to rest right after he met the actress behind Mabel. 

Looking back at the last three seasons of Only Murders and the numerous funny interviews this trio has done together, clearly Short’s concern was quickly put to rest, and the two became friends. They have been tight ever since the show began, and the comedian showed his support for Gomez recently by emceeing her Rare Impact Fund Benefit. While there, he told People about the initial worry he had about working with Gomez:

The first day we shot, I had never met Selena. Because of COVID, we'd only Zoomed. And I was driving to work and I thought, I wonder what Selena's could be like? I mean, she could be a nightmare. She could be a pop princess nightmare. Right away — from the first second we started to the makeup room — it was, like, fabulous.

Continuing to complement his co-star, Short explained that Gomez is “always on time, always knows her lines.” He also gushed about her talent overall, saying:

So good, so talented, such a pro — it's fabulous.

Obviously, his thoughts about her possibly being a “pop princess nightmare” were quickly dispelled. Based on these quotes, Short and Gomez became fast friends, and they’ve continued to work together ever since Only Murders premiered in 2021. 

These two’s chemistry is hilarious, and along with Steve Martin, they make a perfect and totally unexpected iconic trio. They’re so beloved that their whodunnit on Hulu has gained a big audience, and after Season 3’s cliffhanger, it immediately got picked up for Season 4. 

In an interview with THR in 2022, Gomez’s co-stars praised her left and right, with Martin calling her the “magic element” of the trio. Then, Short added onto that saying:

The absolute ease that she works with, the joyfulness she brings to the set, and how important that is to her in shooting and working was a pure delight.

It’s a two-way street too, as Gomez said she was “honored” to be working with the comedy legends. Talk about a dream team, right? They all dearly love each other, despite a minor worry at first, and they’ve proven over the course of three seasons of OMITB that they’re a comedic force. 

You can see this friendship between Gomez, Short and Martin on screen by streaming Only Murders in the Building with a Hulu subscription. Not only can you witness the evolution of the characters and the actors' lovely relationships, but you can also watch all of Only Murders' mysteries, including Season 3 in full because the latest installment just wrapped up on the 2023 TV schedule

Riley Utley
Weekend Editor

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.