Published on 29 Oct, 6:59

Rebecca Lee Meza: Beat 20,000 Girls to Play Young Selena

Rebecca Lee Meza played young Selena in the 1997 movie Selena. Many fans call her Becky Lee Meza. Today she goes by Becky Burden. This article shares what reliable sources say about her life, from her Texas childhood to her life after Hollywood.

Table of Contents

Quick Facts

Detail	What sources say
Full name	Rebecca Lee Meza (also called Becky Lee Meza)
Current name	Becky Burden, according to Tejano Nation
Hometown	Harlingen, Texas area. A 1997 Texas House resolution lists her as from Combes
Famous for	Playing young Selena in Selena (1997)
Age when cast	10 years old, per a June 1996 news report
Birth year	Not confirmed by reliable sources
Film release date	March 21, 1997 (Warner Bros.)
Film director	Gregory Nava
Other film roles	None reported
Album	Vive Tu Sueno (1997)
Later work	Social worker. Owner of a flower and bridal shop
Home	Near Harlingen, Texas, per a 2017 report

Who Is Rebecca Lee Meza?

Rebecca Lee Meza is an American former child actress from South Texas. She is best known for one role. She played Selena Quintanilla as a little girl in Selena. The movie tells the story of the Tejano music star. Tejano is a Texas-Mexican music style.

According to Wikipedia’s film page, Warner Bros. released the film in the United States on March 21, 1997. Gregory Nava wrote and directed it. Jennifer Lopez played Selena as a teenager and an adult. The film follows Selena’s rise to fame and ends with her death at age 23. Yolanda Saldívar murdered her in 1995.

IMDb credits Meza as “Young Selena.” It lists no other film for her. Tejano Nation reported in 2017 that she never continued in the movie business.

After the film, Meza recorded a children’s album. She later worked as a social worker and owned a flower and bridal shop. The newest public updates we found about her date from 2017 to 2020. We will update this page when newer reliable sources appear.

Childhood and Early Life in Harlingen

Meza grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. A 1996 Los Angeles Daily News report called her a 10-year-old from Harlingen. A 1997 Texas House resolution lists her as from Combes. The same document says she was a fifth-grade student at Calvary Christian School in Harlingen.

Meza was already a singer before the movie. The resolution says her community knew her for a powerful singing voice. She sang at weddings. She also opened a show for the Tejano group Mazz. She entered local Selena look-alike contests too.

School was not always easy for her. In a 2007 interview with the Valley Morning Star, Meza said most girls at her schools had blond hair and blue eyes. She said she felt she had to look like them. Bustle shared her comments and reported that Selena’s death in 1995 broke her heart. Cheat Sheet reports that she related to Selena because the singer looked like her.

How She Was Cast as Young Selena

The filmmakers needed a girl to play Selena as a child. They held open auditions in several cities. Thousands of girls came.

The Nationwide Casting Call

The 1996 Los Angeles Daily News report says more than 20,000 girls and women came to open casting calls in March. The calls took place in Miami, San Antonio, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Producer Moctesuma Esparza said about 550 people got a callback.

The team then cut the group to seven young women and six little girls. Five of the seven women were professional actresses.

The numbers change from source to source. The Texas House resolution says 20,000 girls. Tejano Nation says 22,000. Sources also disagree on where Meza tried out. Cheat Sheet says Houston. BuzzFeed says San Antonio. We do not know which one is right, so we do not pick one.

Her Audition and Final Selection

Meza had no professional acting experience. The 1996 report says the producers asked both Meza and Jennifer Lopez to perform three dramatic scenes. They also asked each of them to dance and to lip-sync Selena songs.

Meza won the role. The Texas House says she beat five other finalists. In June 1996, she spoke at a press conference in Los Angeles. She said she had tried out just for fun. She also said she felt excited and nervous, and she wanted to do a good job.

The Texas House of Representatives honored her with a resolution. The House adopted it on May 23, 1997.

Her Role in Selena (1997)

Meza plays the young version of Selena. A Warner Bros. summary of the film explains that Selena’s father, Abraham, sees his young daughter’s talent. He starts performing with her at small venues. That early part of the story is where young Selena appears.

The film runs 2 hours and 7 minutes. IMDb Pro lists it as PG. Moctesuma Esparza and Robert Katz produced it. Turner Classic Movies lists filming locations in San Antonio, Poteet, and Corpus Christi, Texas. The 1996 news report says filming would start in San Antonio in late August.

Working With Jennifer Lopez and the Cast

Meza worked with a cast of professional actors. Jennifer Lopez played Selena as a teenager and an adult. Edward James Olmos played Abraham Quintanilla, Selena’s father. Constance Marie played Selena’s mother, Marcela.

Meza spoke about Lopez on the show Sábado Gigante. Meganoticias reports that Meza described Lopez as a big sister. In 1996, Lopez told reporters she wanted to do a good job and make everyone proud.

Did She Sing in the Movie?

No. Wikipedia credits Jennifer Peña as the singing voice of young Selena. Meza lip-synced the songs on screen. That matches her audition, where the producers asked her to lip-sync Selena songs.

Meza could sing, though. The Texas House resolution says she sang in her community before the movie. She also recorded her own album, which you can read about below.

Why She Stepped Away From Acting

Meza did not take another acting job after Selena. She explained why in a 2017 video diary. Tejano Nation summed it up. Coming home after the movie was very hard for her. She said many people, both children and adults, hated her. She also said she got death threats. She never felt normal again.

Meza also said she believes God had other plans for her life. She said the short time in the spotlight humbled her and taught her a lot.

Bullying and Threats After the Film

Meza gave more details on Sábado Gigante, the show hosted by Don Francisco. Meganoticias reports what she said. Classmates were jealous when she went back to school. Her family received many death threats. In tenth grade, classmates beat her badly. She said they broke her nose and part of her eye.

Metro Puerto Rico adds that classmates also called her an orphan. We do not know the date of the interview. Both outlets cite the same Sábado Gigante appearance.

Bullying can hurt people for years. If a child you know faces bullying, tell a trusted adult. The U.S. government’s StopBullying.gov explains how to get help.

Her Music Career: Vive tu Sueño

After the film, Meza recorded a children’s album called Vive Tu Sueno. The title means “Live Your Dream.” AllMusic lists an April 8, 1997 release date. It says the album runs 31 minutes and 40 seconds. It also says the team recorded it at Arp Studios in Seguin, Texas.

A release listing shows that Virgin Records America distributed the album. Jeff Sturms and Tinker Villareal produced it. The songs include Spanish and English versions of “Over the Rainbow.” They also include Spanish versions of “Pure Imagination,” “Walking on Sunshine,” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.”

One detail does not match across sources. The Texas House resolution names a CD called Suenos Realizados. It says the release was planned for April 1, 1997. AllMusic lists Vive Tu Sueno for April 8, 1997. The sources do not say if these are the same project.

Meza’s music career stayed small. Cheat Sheet reports that she moved to Austin to chase music, but her career did not take off the way she hoped.

Life After Hollywood

Meza built a life outside entertainment. Reports mention social work, a flower and bridal shop, and a family. Her faith also plays a large role.

Career in Social Services

Meza became a social worker. BuzzFeed says she shared this on Sábado Gigante. Meganoticias says she worked as a social worker for the State of Texas when its report ran. We could not find a report that names her job today.

Her Flower and Bridal Boutique

In 2007, the Valley Morning Star interviewed Meza. According to Bustle, she had opened a business called Rebecca Lee’s Flowers and Bridal Boutique by then. She decorated it with Selena memorabilia. She also hung photos of herself with her movie co-stars.

The reports we found do not say if the shop is still open.

Rebecca Lee Meza’s Family Life

Meza now goes by Becky Burden. In 2017, Tejano Nation reported that she was married with four children. She and her husband lived near Harlingen, Texas. The report says they had recently rededicated their lives to Christ.

In August 2016, Meza started a video diary on her YouTube channel. She said she wanted people to know the real her. She also wanted to share her faith.

The number of children changes in reports because they come from different years. A report from the Sábado Gigante interview says three children. Reports from 2017 and 2018 say four. Cheat Sheet says five in 2020. The 2020 report is the newest one we found.

One report describes her husband as an American businessman. Meza keeps her family life private. We do not share the names of her husband or children.