It's hard to imagine anyone other than Demi Lovato playing Mitchie Torres on Camp Rock, but, as it turns out, the role almost went to Selena Gomez.
As noted by PopSugar, the tidbit was shared in a 2020 interview with David DeLuise, who played Selena's dad on Wizards of Waverly Place. Speaking to Wildchat Sports, David revealed Selena had been offered and turned down the lead role in Camp Rock to make sure Demi would land it.
The doc spans six years of Selena's private life.
"I've never really said this story, but they offered Camp Rock to Selena," David says in the interview after recounting an anecdote of how he met Demi. "Selena knew that if she passed on it, Demi would get the part. So she passed on it, which was very nice of her to do. And they were friends. They were on the show Barney together.”
As David noted and as Disney Channel fans probably know already, Demi and Selena were very close pals at the time. The two met on the set of Barney & Friends when they were around 10 years-old and stayed close in the years after, though they've seeming fallen out of touch more recently.
They also started their Disney journey around the same time, with Selena landing Wizards of Waverly Place in 2007, after guest runs in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana. On the other hand, Demi landed As the Bell Rings in 2007, as well as Camp Rock and Sonny with a Chance later. The two even starred together in the fan-favourite DCOM Princess Protection Program in 2009.
This is a new edgy Demi Lovato and we’re here for it
.jpeg)
Ultimately, the role was perfect for Demi. But yeah, in a parallel universe, Joe Jonas and Selena Gomez sang that infamous duet. Lots to think about.
A version of this article originally appeared on Teen Vogue.
