2 weeks Ago By The Straits Times
(From left) Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short in Only Murders In The Building 4. LOS ANGELES – When Only Murders In The Building first aired in 2021, the series was a bit of an oddity. The comedy whodunnit – a niche genre to begin with – starred septuagenarian comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short, neither of whom had had a major hit in decades, alongside Selena Gomez, a pop star and actress half their age.
But the trio’s unlikely chemistry on-screen, where they play neighbours and true-crime obsessives who keep getting embroiled in murder mysteries, helped turn the show into a sleeper hit with fans and critics. In Season 3, the series got an extra shot of prestige when Oscar winner Meryl Streep joined the cast. And it is up for 21 Emmys on Sept 16, including the first acting nomination for Gomez, who could pull off an upset if she wins.
The cast and creators attended the recent Los Angeles premiere for Season 4, which is now streaming on Disney+ and sees the three friends heading to Hollywood as a studio plans to turn their crime podcast into a film. Gomez, 32, was Emmy nominated in her capacity as a producer in 2022 and 2023, when the show was up for Outstanding Comedy Series, as it is again in 2024. But this time, the American star is also in contention for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and will face three previous category winners: Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) and Jean Smart (Hacks).
Gomez was excited to find out she had been nominated, but does not expect to win, she says. “But I’m very honoured and flattered.” While she is better known for her hit songs like Come & Get It (2013) and Lose You To Love Me (2019), Gomez has been focusing more on acting and producing in recent years.
Earlier in 2024, she starred in the Spanish-language musical comedy Emilia Perez, which won the 2024 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize, with Gomez and the rest of the female cast also collectively winning the Best Actress award. And this is one reason the star – who has struggled with mental health and autoimmune issues for a decade – describes this as the best year of her life. Selena Gomez at the premiere of Only Murders In The Building’s Season 4 at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Aug 22.
PHOTO: REUTERS “Honestly, it has been. I’m really grateful to be recognised, so it’s exciting,” says Gomez, who has been in a relationship with 36-year-old American songwriter and record producer Benny Blanco since 2023. It was also a joy to reunite for Season 4 with co-stars Martin and Short, who have been Emmy-nominated for their performances as well, along with Season 3 stars Streep and Paul Rudd and guest actors Matthew Broderick and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
“There is a joyful spirit that we all have. It’s just great to be back for another season,” Gomez says. Martin, 79, and Short, 74, also constantly make her break character.
“I actually mess up a scene and I turn around and laugh. But it kind of works with it and the character,” says the actress, who voiced Count Dracula’s daughter in the Hotel Transylvania animated movies (2012 to 2022). The trio’s unlikely chemistry on-screen helped turn the show into a sleeper hit with fans and critics.
PHOTO: DISNEY+ “It has to work because there wasn’t a take where you weren’t laughing,” adds Short, the Canadian-American actor who co-starred with Martin in comedies such as Three Amigos! (1986) and Father Of The Bride (1991). And he and Martin are both “madly in love with this young lady”, he says of his co-star. Martin, who co-created Only Murders In The Building, says the trio have also developed a sense for where to take a scene.
“When you’re on a set, there’s a mood and a feeling that tell us what the right answer is if there’s an option here or an option there. “Then you kind of settle and say, ‘This is the one that feels right for all of us’,” says the American actor, who headlined the comedy films Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), Parenthood (1989) and L.A.
Story (1991). The co-stars are also generous with one another. “A lot of the time, we’re not out for ourselves – we’ll say, ‘It would be so funny if Marty (Martin Short) said that, or if Selena just looked at us’,” says Martin.
“So we’re kind of working for the entire show.” Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now.
