Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato have reunited on camera for the first time in years, recreating the poster of their 2009 Disney Channel movie “Princess Protection Program.” The former child stars revealed the throwback shoot and a nostalgic YouTube video on Wednesday, October 28, to launch a joint product for Gomez’s Rare Beauty brand.
What We Know
Gomez shared the images on Instagram with the caption “Once a Princess, always a Princess,” adding: “Best friends don’t just have each other’s backs. They make them blush too.” The first photo restages the film’s original poster, with Lovato in a full yellow ballgown and Gomez in a glammed-up take on her character’s tomboy look. Another shot shows the pair back in character as Carter Mason and Princess Rosalinda, doing their makeup.
The occasion is a two-piece liquid blush set nicknamed “Delena,” a blend of their first names, according to ABC News. Bustle reported that the bundle pairs the Virtue and Hope shades.
The accompanying video, posted to Gomez’s YouTube channel, is a deliberate callback to the bedroom vlogs the two made as teenagers. It opens with the same “Yo. Yo. Yo.” greeting from a clip they filmed nearly two decades ago. “It’s been a minute, hasn’t it?” Lovato asks. The friends flip through old photos from the set, answer fan questions from usernames borrowed from “Camp Rock,” and lip-sync their movie duet “One and the Same” while bouncing on a twin bed. The clip ends with Gomez asking, “Who is your best friend?” before the words “still making each other blush” appear on screen.
A quick-fire round touched on their hometown, Lovato’s song “Low Rise Jeans” and Gomez’s husband, producer Benny Blanco, Bustle noted. The video also playfully revived their old online rivalry with Miley Cyrus and Mandy Jiroux, who had their own YouTube show at the time.
Background
The two singers and actresses have known each other since childhood. They met at around age seven on the set of “Barney & Friends” in 2002, then followed separate paths to Disney Channel stardom: Gomez on “Wizards of Waverly Place” and Lovato on “Sonny With a Chance.” They teamed up for “Princess Protection Program” in 2009, and Gomez made a cameo on Lovato’s sitcom.
The friendship went through well-documented ups and downs over the following years. The pair reconnected publicly in April, when Gomez attended the opening night of Lovato’s It’s Not That Deep Tour in Orlando, Florida. For Lovato, the reunion caps a year heavy on Disney nostalgia: she executive-produced and appeared in “Camp Rock 3,” which premiered in August.
Learn more about both stars in our Selena Gomez biography and Demi Lovato profile.
Reactions
Gomez described the shoot on her Instagram Story as “the most special day.” In a statement quoted by Bustle, she said: “The experiences I’ve shared with Demi are truly unique. Coming together for this campaign was a beautiful reminder of that history.”
Lovato, speaking to Elle, reflected on how close friendships evolve. “Friends are in each other’s lives heavily at times, and then sometimes you’re not in constant communication,” she said, adding that she has always loved Gomez and is glad they can now work together and spend time together again.
What’s Next
The Delena blush set is now part of Rare Beauty’s lineup. Neither star has announced a new screen project together, but the full video is now online and gives fans their most extended look at the pair together in years. Whether Cyrus responds to the friendly jab remains to be seen.
Sources
- ABC News / Good Morning America: Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato have ‘Princess Protection Program’ reunion
- Bustle: Selena Gomez & Demi Lovato Recreated Their ‘Princess Protection Program’ Poster
- Variety: Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato Recreate ‘Princess Protection Program’ Moments in New Rare Beauty Campaign