CANNES, France, May 19 (Reuters) - Selena Gomez said

that she was relieved focus had shifted to her role in the new

Mexican cartel musical "Emilia Perez" rather than her personal

life, the singer told Reuters on Sunday.

"It's a relief. I'd rather somebody say I did a terrible job

than talk about my personal life. So, I feel very proud," Gomez

said at the Cannes Film Festival a day after the premiere of the

film, which received a standing ovation for nine minutes.

The former Disney star added that she made up just a small

part of the "incredible masterpiece" that is "Emilia Perez,"

which also stars Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofia Gascon.

The film directed by Jacques Audiard about a Mexican drug

lord who transitions from male to female and starts a nonprofit

dedicated to finding the bodies of disappeared people, is in the

running for the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or.

Gomez, who also co-stars with Steve Martin and Martin Short

in the Hulu streaming series "Only Murders in the Building," is

the most-followed woman on Instagram with 428 million followers.

Such a large following puts her life under intense public

scrutiny and generates headlines that speculate about her

personal relationships as well as mental and physical health.

The singer who has posted candidly about having lupus and

bipolar disorder told broadcaster NBC's "Today" show this month

that she has decided to limit comments on her account to only

friends as a way to set boundaries.