Selena Gomez, the celebrated actress and singer, often graces screens both big and small, captivating audiences with her performances. In the Hulu hit series, Only Murders in the Building, her character Mabel Mora stands out not just for her wit and style, but also for her dynamic alongside co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short. This Emmy-nominated show, lauded for its contemporary costumes, subtly plays with visual cues, including height, to enhance the comedic and relational dynamics between the characters. But this sparks a common question among fans: How Tall Is Selena Gomez in reality and how does it translate to her on-screen presence?
According to reports and as subtly highlighted within discussions of costume design in Only Murders in the Building, Selena Gomez’s height is around 5 feet 5 inches (approximately 1.65 meters). This height places her in interesting visual dynamics with her fellow actors, a point cleverly utilized by costume designers to enrich storytelling. In a Hollywood Reporter article detailing the art of costume design and actor heights, Selena Gomez’s stature is specifically mentioned in the context of her role as Mabel.
Selena Gomez’s Height: The ‘Cool Boots’ Factor in Only Murders in the Building
In Only Murders in the Building, costume designer Dana Covarrubias cleverly uses fashion to amplify character traits and relationships. Mabel Mora’s signature “cool boots,” as Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) affectionately calls them, add approximately 5 inches to Selena Gomez’s height. This sartorial choice is not merely about style; it’s a deliberate technique to play with the visual hierarchy among the main trio.
Covarrubias explains that these elevated boots serve to enhance the millennial-versus-boomer dynamic within the show. By increasing Mabel’s perceived height, she visually “towers over Marty [Martin Short] and is able to sass him around and tell him the business and also see a little more eye-to-eye with Steve [Martin],” as stated in The Hollywood Reporter. This subtle costume detail ensures Mabel holds her own and even appears dominant in certain comedic exchanges with the older, shorter Oliver, while also achieving a more balanced visual level with Charles (Steve Martin), who stands at 6 feet tall. Therefore, while Selena Gomez’s height is 5’5″, Mabel’s on-screen height is dynamically adjusted through costume to serve the narrative.
Height Dynamics with Co-stars: Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin
The height differences between Selena Gomez and her Only Murders in the Building co-stars, Martin Short (5-foot-7) and Steve Martin (6 feet), contribute significantly to the show’s comedic timing and visual appeal. While Martin Short is just slightly taller than Selena Gomez, the added height from Mabel’s boots often makes her appear the same height or even taller than him on screen. Steve Martin, being considerably taller, creates a different kind of visual pairing with Mabel, allowing for varied dynamics within the trio.
This deliberate play with height is a common practice in visual storytelling. As highlighted in the Hollywood Reporter article, costume designers frequently navigate actor heights to enhance storytelling, whether to emphasize vulnerability, power dynamics, or comedic effect. In the case of Only Murders in the Building, Mabel’s boosted height from her boots contributes to her assertive and contemporary character portrayal, contrasting with the more traditionally comedic and sometimes physically smaller personas of Oliver and Charles.
Height in Hollywood: A Broader Perspective
The article in The Hollywood Reporter further illustrates how costume designers across various productions manipulate height for storytelling purposes. From Pam & Tommy, where Lily James’ heels brought her closer to Sebastian Stan’s height to emphasize visual parity, to Winning Time, where custom shoes were used to accurately represent the towering height of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, height is a crucial element in character representation.
Even in The Afterparty, costume design exaggerated the height difference between Ike Barinholtz (6-foot-3) and Dave Franco (5-foot-7) for comedic effect, showcasing how size disparities can amplify on-screen dynamics. These examples underscore that in Hollywood, and specifically in costume design, height is more than just a physical attribute; it’s a tool for visual storytelling.
Understanding how tall is Selena Gomez provides context not just for her physical appearance but also for the deliberate choices made in styling her characters. Her 5’5″ stature becomes a versatile canvas upon which costume designers build character narratives, using tools like elevated footwear to subtly shift audience perception and enhance the storytelling in projects like Only Murders in the Building. This attention to detail highlights the thoughtful artistry behind costume design and its integral role in shaping our viewing experience.
