Christian Serratos knows she's not Selena. She's 'terrified' enough playing her on TV

"There was that moment where I thought: 'Do I want this pressure?'" Christian Serratos says flatly.

Can you blame her? How else would you process portraying Selena Quintanilla-Perez, the beloved Queen of Tejano music known simply as Selena, whose enduring legacy and devoted fan base remain steadfast a quarter of a century after her murder in 1995. The Mexican American singer has been immortalized on T-shirts and tote bags, inspired a line of MAC Cosmetics makeup, received an honorary Walk of Fame star and fueled countless Halloween costume tributes, including from the likes of Demi Lovato and Kim Kardashian. She's even inspired a college course at San Diego State University.

And the pressure doesn't end there. Serratos is following in the footsteps of Jennifer Lopez, who portrayed the late singer in the 1997 biopic "Selena," which catapulted Lopez's career to new heights and which has become a contemporary classic, in heavy rotation in Latino homes. Comparisons are inevitable.

Ultimately, though, Serratos decided she could bear the weight.

And so the 30-year-old actress, known among "Walking Dead" enthusiasts for her role as Rosita Espinosa, committed to channeling Quintanilla-Perez in Netflix's "Selena: The Series," which traces the singer's story from her birth until she was gunned down in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas, by the president