See the Cast of Netflix’s Selena: The Series Vs. the People They Play in Real Life

Selena Quintanilla will be played by Christian Serratos (Twilight, The Walking Dead). The teenager with an incredible voice would later be crowned the Queen of Tejano music. To prepare for the role, Serratos told ELLE that she loved rewatching Selena performing “Que Creias,” and admits filming the concert scenes were her favorite part: “She somehow made an arena full of people feel like they were all hanging out together as friends.” A younger Selena will be played by 9-year-old singer Madison Taylor Baez.

Abraham Quintanilla, the man who instilled a love of music in his three children and managed their careers, will be played by Ricardo Chavira. Chavira is best known for his recurring role on Desperate Housewives, as well as roles on Scandal and Jane the Virgin. Abraham looms large over the Netflix series both as a fictional character driving his children toward success and, in real life, as executive producer of the project.

Selena’s older brother and the bass player in Los Dinos is A.B. (aka Abraham Quintanilla III). He’s played by Gabriel Chavarria (War for the Planet of the Apes, The Purge) and was one of Selena’s closest collaborators. In addition to playing the bass, A.B. penned hits including “Como la Flor” and “Amor Prohibido.” These days, he’s a successful musician and posts frequent tributes to his late sister on Instagram.

“The drummer is the heart of the band,” Abraham tells a reluctant Suzette at the beginning of Selena: The Series. Selena’s older sister and drummer is played by Noemi Gonzalez (The Young & the Restless, East Los High). While Suzette is initially unsure of her musical skills in the show, she becomes vital to Selena y Los Dinos and Selena’s go-to makeover expert. In real-life, Suzette serves as an executive producer on the Netflix series and lives in the family’s hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Marcella Quintanilla, Selena’s mother and confidant, is played by Seidy López. This isn’t the first time López has been involved in a Selena biopic. She appeared in a small role as Deborah, one of Selena’s friends, in the 1997 Jennifer Lopez movie. The real-life Marcella plays a role in the Selena Foundation, which supports underprivileged children in need.

Jesse Posey (younger brother of Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey) plays Selena’s husband, Chris Pérez. The couple met in the late ’80s when Pérez was tapped as lead guitarist for Los Dinos. He shows up around the midway point of Selena: The Series and changes everything for the singer after they secretly elope in 1992. Unlike the rest of Selena’s family, Pérez is not involved with the Netflix show and focuses on his own musical projects.

Selena’s stardom occurred, in part, thanks to people like Johnny Canales. The former Tejano musician and host of his own talk show welcomed the Quintanilla family for their first performance in Mexico, as depicted in the show’s third episode. Selena y Los Dinos’s performance in 1986 was the first American production to be recorded in Mexico in front of a live crowd, per the Los Angeles Times. Luis Bordonada (Vida) plays the man who helped propel Selena and co. to international fame.