NEW YORK � She�s only 16. Yet Selena Gomez sounds more seasoned and pragmatic than some actresses three times her age.

�It�s smart to have a backup plan. I�d love to go to culinary school. I find cooking very therapeutic. I have zero time to ever do it, but once I have a house of my own, one day, I�ll have time to do that,� she says.
Ask the Texas native, who has been working in the entertainment world for nine years, about the difficulties inherent in transitioning from a dewy, adorable Disney Channel teen queen to a respected actress with a more mature audience, and she remains unfazed. She fluidly discusses the challenges of �developing movie projects and finding character roles,� especially for girls her age. �I have an audience. The audience I have now, I want them to grow with me. I want to make a transition,� she says. �I want to learn and grow.�
The Los Angeles-based teen remains ferociously proud of her roots, refusing to get a California driver�s license and opting to wait until she gets one from the Lone Star State. And like any young girl, she�s boy-crazy. Gomez takes a quick break from discussing her professional aspirations to lovingly berate her cousin, who sits across from her eating breakfast, about contacting a guy. �You didn�t text him, did you? Do not text!� Gomez says. �Do I ever take my own advice? No. I need to!�
She gets to engage in her girly side in the Disney Channel�s movie �Princess Protection Program,� premiering Friday It stars Gomez and her real-life best friend, Demi Lovato.
�It�s about a young princess, played by Demi. Her country is threatened. My father rescues her and she comes to live with us. I�m more of a tomboy character not comfortable in her skin,� Gomez says. �It�s a good, strong friendship movie. A lot of girls look up to Demi and my friendship because we�ve known each other since we were 7. And I think it�s wonderful.�
The two first met in line for a �Barney & Friends� audition in Texas. �She turned around and asked me to color with her, and that�s where everything began,� Gomez says.
Working with her closest buddy, Gomez, says, �is like going to lunch with your best friend but with the cameras watching. It didn�t feel like work.�
She says the two are �not competitive. We�ve been through so much together. I remember going to concerts of hers when only a few people would show, at fairs. We don�t have room for that. We�re so blessed.�
Gomez wasn�t always so focused. As a child, she says, she was a �flake� and �very shy,� vacillating between wanting to become a doctor or a cheerleader. When she angled to try acting, she became �addicted� to it. She sent an audition tape to Disney and got guest-starring turns on �Hannah Montana� and �The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.�
In addition to �Princess,� Gomez also stars on the Disney Channel�s �Wizards of Waverly Place,� in which she plays a teen with magical abilities. �This will be my last series, for a while,� she predicts.
Gomez�s schedule rivals that of a Wall Street executive. She goes to school for five hours on set, rehearses her show for about three hours, and goes to the recording studio to work on her as-yet-untitled record in her free time. �The record is going to be pop-rock with a bit of dance to it. The music is fun, and it�s something I�ve always wanted to try,� says Gomez, whose CD is slated for a fall release. �I would not be happy if I was doing nothing.�
One thing she�s not doing: dating �Twilight� actor Taylor Lautner. �I�m single. I�ve never dated him. He�s a really nice guy. He�s become one of my really good friends, and he�s made me the happiest I�ve ever been.
�I�ve been through a lot and I�ve cut those people out of my life,� she says, obliquely referring to people in her inner circle who were less than kind to her but not elaborating any further. �I�ve been very mistreated. I�m just really careful who I surround myself with.�