At just 15, Selena Marie Alphonse is carving her name into two very different arenas: Hollywood and competitive figure skating. Audiences may remember her as Romany Malco and La La Anthony’s daughter in Netflix’s Holiday Rush or on Madame Secretary, but that’s only one part of her story.
Away from the cameras, Selena is building a reputation as one of the brightest young athletes in figure skating, earning top accolades throughout the sports. BCKOnline sat down with this multi-hyphanate talent to get to know her better. Check out what she had to say below!
BCKONLINE: You’re balancing two very demanding worlds, competitive skating and acting. How do you manage your time between the rink and the set?
SELENA ALPHONSE: I’ve learned to manage my time efficiently. I wake up pretty early to get school done so I have the rest of the day at the rink, got to acting and dance classes and also have free time when I can read or crochet. I also have an amazing team and family that helps make managing my time and balancing everything I do easier.
BCKONLINE: What first drew you to figure skating, and do you remember the moment you realized you wanted to pursue it competitively?
SELENA ALPHONSE: I was invited to my friend’s ice skating party and when I stepped on the ice I immediately knew I loved it. At the time I was taking roller skating lessons and I found ice skating to be so much easier. I also LOVED how cold the rink is which is so different from a roller skating rink.
BCKONLINE: You’ve already joined the U.S. Figure Skating Axel Club, what did landing that Axel mean to you personally?
SELENA ALPHONSE: Landing my axel really showed me that I can do anything as long as I worked hard. When I started skating I was 12 years old and so many coaches told me I could land my axel because I was too old. I didn’t let that stop me because I knew that if I pushed myself and not let the negativity get to me then I’d be able to accomplish it.
BCKONLINE: Skating with your twin sister Andrea must be special. How would you describe your bond on and off the ice?
SELENA ALPHONSE: We are best friends on and off the ice. We do literally everything together and it’s so cool to be on every journey together. I’m so grateful to share such cool experiences with her and chase our dreams together.
BCKONLINE: Winning gold at Lake Placid and Skate Wilmington is huge. Do you have a favorite memory from those competitions?
SELENA ALPHONSE: My favorite memories from those competitions are always competing and having my sister Andrea by my side. I love performing so I treat every competition like a performance which helps make me less nervous. I love sharing what I love with other people- even if they’re judges.
BCKONLINE: On the acting side, what was it like working with Romany Malco and La La Anthony on Holiday Rush?
SELENA ALPHONSE: Filming Holiday Rush was absolutely the best time. I learned so much from watching Romany and La La. And not only was I filming with such amazing actors but I was also on set with my twin portraying twins! It was such a unique experience because not often we’re cast as twins, we usually share roles.
BCKONLINE: You’ve also appeared on Madam Secretary. How different is preparing for a scene compared to preparing for a skate program?
SELENA ALPHONSE: I don’t think it’s much different honestly. Each program I skate to I try to think I’m a different character defending on the music and the style of dance. Sometimes I’m fierce and other times I pretend I’m a princess. In acting your character has a background story and sometimes the script tells you what it is and other times you kind of have to make it up yourself and that’s what I do when I skate. For me, it makes skating more fun.
BCKONLINE: With over 100,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel, how do you come up with content ideas, and what do you enjoy most about connecting with fans online?
SELENA ALPHONSE: A lot of the content Andrea and I post comes from either real experiences that we had in the beginning of our skating career or just tutorials. We also love to post beginner friendly tutorials for our followers. We noticed a lot of people want to learn how to skate so we thought why not teach the basics. Creating content is so much fun and we want to love sharing our sport with everyone.
BCKONLINE: You’re currently a finalist for Colossal’s Youth Athlete of the Year with Sports Illustrated. How does it feel to be recognized on such a big stage at just 15?
SELENA ALPHONSE: To see so many people support me means the world. It’s also for a great cause and giving back is so important to me.
BCKONLINE: Do you see yourself leaning more toward acting or skating in the future, or do you hope to continue both?
SELENA ALPHONSE: I definitely see myself doing both. I think because I’ve learned how to balance the two I don’t think I can choose between them. I love them both so much.
BCKONLINE: Modeling and commercials are also part of your world. How does being in front of the camera in that setting compare to skating in front of judges?
SELENA ALPHONSE: I’ve been modeling since I was 6 months old so I have always been comfortable in front of the camera. I was also a competitive gymnast when I was younger so being in front of judges doesn’t scare me as much. I still get nervous because I’ve learned to turn it into excitement.
BCKONLINE: What role does your family play in supporting your ambitions?
SELENA ALPHONSE: My family is everything to me and I wouldn’t have been where I am today if it wasn’t for them. They are so encouraging and supportive and I’m so grateful to have them in my life.
BCKONLINE: If you could design your dream skating program, music, costume, vibe, what would it look like?
SELENA ALPHONSE: I’d want my dream program to be fun and upbeat and to feel like a party. I’d want my costume to either be colorful or purple because it’s my favorite color.
BCKONLINE: Who inspires you most in skating? And who inspires you most in Hollywood?
SELENA ALPHONSE: Madison Chock and Evan Bates inspire me so much. When I first began skating I would watch the competitions and I loved watching them skate. They’re so confident, fearless and have so much passion for skating, you can just tell they love it so much.
BCKONLINE: You’ve already accomplished so much at such a young age. What’s one goal you’re setting your sights on next, whether it’s on the ice or on the screen?
SELENA ALPHONSE: One of my goals for figure skating is to compete internationally. It’s been a long time goal of mine to compete in another country and I hope one day I can make that dream come true. Another goal of mine is to be in a movie or a TV show where I’m an ice skater. My sister Andrea recently filmed a movie where she was an ice skater and she looked like she was having the time of her life. This was a goal and sort of like on our bucket list for both of us so it was pretty cool she’s able to film and check that off.
Photo Credit: Selena Marie Alphonse; Selena Marie Alphonse Instagram
