Selena Gomez, 29, teaches co-stars Steve Martin, 76, and Martin Short, 71, how to make the perfect social media post while promoting their new show

Former teen idol Selena Gomez is starring alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short in the upcoming Hulu show Only Murders in the Building - and has admitted to learning a lot from the comedy legends. 

But speaking to Variety about the chemistry between the trio, it seems Gomez, 29, - who boasts a staggering 255million followers on Instagram - was also able to impart some wisdom onto both Martin, 76, and Short, 71. 

The actors had been asked to shoot a video for social media to promote the new series, which is when Gomez stepped in and requested that they ditched a scripted idea in favor of being more natural.

'I just did a selfie video where all of us were just being ourselves. That was my two cents I could put in,' Gomez revealed. 

Father of the Bride star Martin then revealed how he'd learned what makes the perfect social media post from Gomez, who became the most followed celebrity on Instagram in 2016. 

'You've remarked that when something looks planned,' Martin said to Gomez in the interview, adding: 'it doesn't get as much attention as something that looks spontaneous and created right in the moment.'

The new series - about about three strangers that come together to solve a crime and start a podcast - has been getting good reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it a 'pleasant, fizzy trifle with dashes of semi-compatible substance.' 

Gomez also talked in the interview about how the show appeals to viewers across generations.

'I've played the show for people from my little sister to my grandparents, and they laugh when they need to laugh,' she says.

'They're upset and confused when they need to be. It's something that leaves you feeling intrigued, but not heavy and down and sad or stressed.'

The three actors have been spotted filming the show around New York City this year amid the pandemic, and Martin reveals how they were affected by COVID-19.

'We were tested three times a week. We all were responsible,' he said. 'A couple people on the crew got sick, but they didn't transmit it among the crew. They were contact-traced; they isolated for two weeks.'