The Cast Of Selena: The Series Earned The Real-Life Quintanilla Family’s Approval

Selena: The Series stars Christian Serratos as Selena Quintanilla, aka the “Queen of Tejano Music.” “I knew what an incredible fan base she had," she recently told Bustle. "I just wanted to honor her and her legacy, and her family, and her fans as much as I could."

A real-life fan of the late singer, Serratos continued, “I just love how honest [Selena] was, how graceful she was, and how determined she was to accomplish her goals. And I think those are great qualities for anybody to model.”

Selena: The Series also stars Juan Martinez as a young version of her brother A.B., Ricardo Chavira as her father Abraham, Madison Taylor Baez as young Selena, Seidy Lopez as her mother Marcella, and Daniela Estrada as a young version of her sister Suzette.

“In my mind, she’s still alive,” Abraham, who produces the series alongside Suzette, told ET of grieving Selena while continuing her legacy. “You get involved with all her things and doing things for her every day that sometimes I forget that she’s not here with us anymore.”

Noemi Gonzalez and Gabriel Chavarria portray adult versions of Suzzette and A.B., respectively. "I definitely felt a sense of pressure," Gonzalez told Elite Daily. “I’m just playing a life experience... I made sure to remove anything that wasn't serving that right off the bat."

“Selena will always have a lasting place in music history... We feel great responsibility to do justice to her memory," Suzette wrote on Instagram. "With this series, viewers will finally get the full history of Selena, our family, and the impact she has had on all of our lives.”

After watching the series, A.B. Quintanilla shared his thoughts on Instagram. “I am a fan of Netflix especially for their original movies,” he wrote in December 2020. “I want to personally congratulate everyone that was involved in making SELENA... You guys rocked it!!! I love it!!!”

Likely due to Abraham’s disapproval of their relationship, Chris Pérez was not involved in making the series. “I loved her music even before I joined the band,” he wrote on Instagram. “I will forever respect the band and the people involved in it. I hope you guys enjoy this series.”

Jesse Posey plays Pérez, Selena's husband and guitar player. “You can really tell how much [Chris] cared for her,” he told TV Insider. “The two things I know that he really cared about in that timeframe was how much he loved that girl and how much he loved his music.”

Part 2 of Selena: The Series hits Netflix on May 4, and it’s expected to cover the final years of the iconic musician’s career, including her 1994 Grammy win as well as her tragic murder by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club.