Selena Gomez: Critics were hard on me!

If you thought it was easy for Disney stars like Selena Gomez to pick up their own show and land a record deal, you were wrong.

According to Gomez, critics had a hard time accepting her as a serious actor. Though she got her start at age seven on "Barney & Friends" and occasionally guest starred on other Disney shows like "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" and "Hannah Montana," she claims no one took her seriously and doubted that she would get anywhere.

"I’ve had people tell me that I would never have my own show," she told The New York Daily News, "that I wasn't talented or strong enough, and I've had a bunch of people criticize my music and my personal style and everything."

Today, Gomez is on her way to wrapping up her own Emmy Award-winning show, "Wizards of Waverly Place," and just starred in a movie, "Ramona and Beezus," which soaked up generally positive reviews from even the top movie critics.

Roger Ebert called Gomez's performance in "Ramona and Beezus" "appealing," while calling the movie a "featherweight G-rated comedy of no consequence."

"Being business-minded so young is more about being passionate with the things that you love," she explains.

Critics might be eating their words now that Gomez has made it big, but were they right in the first place, or did Gomez just get lucky?