“It was way too soon”- Selena Quintanilla's sister claims their family was pressured to approve the singer’s 1997 biopic

Suzette Quintanilla, Selena Quintanilla's sister, said her family felt a lot of pressure to agree to the 1997 movie Selena just months after the singer passed away. While talking about the 30th anniversary of Selena’s Dreaming of You album, Suzette opened up about this on the On That Note podcast with Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men.

Thinking back on how the movie came about, Suzette shared that her family had not planned to create a film about Selena’s life so soon after her death. Their lawyers, however, told them that people in Hollywood were already preparing a movie, which could have moved ahead without their involvement. To avoid losing control over how Selena’s story would be told, they decided they had to act.

"We were forced to make the movie," said Quintanilla. "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. So, that's the only reason why my father [Abraham] had to make the decision to move forward and say, 'We're doing this movie.'"

Selena’s Sister, Suzette Quintanilla, Says Their Family Was Pressured to Make a Biopic Just Two Years After Selena’s Death..

Thoughts?

Credit Shawn Stickman’s On The Note pic.twitter.com/MFEANBfg0u

— The Gworls Are Fighting (@baddietvv) July 4, 2025

Suzette Quintanilla says family faced criticism over timing of Selena biopic

Yolanda Saldívar, the president of Selena's fan club, killed her in 1995. Gregory Nava directed a film about her, which came out in March 1997, just two years after her death. Suzette admitted the family found the timing hard and wasn't ready to take on such a project.

"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," she said while adding the family got heat for "being all about money."

Even with the criticism, Suzette defended the decision her family made. The film achieved both critical praise and box office success. Jennifer Lopez, playing Selena, earned a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress. In 2021, the United States National Film Registry chose the film to preserve because of its cultural importance.