Mariah Carey Jokes She'll 'Always' Be a 'Diva' on Set, Opens Up About Boyfriend James Packer

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Leave it to Mariah Carey to direct on her own terms -- in her own movie.

"I'm still always going to be a diva in certain ways and I don't mean that in the bad sense of the word," Carey told ET on the set of her new Hallmark Channel movie, A Christmas Melody, which she's directing and starring in. "I just mean, if there's a makeup artist there and they don't mind touching me up while I'm directing..."


READ: 'Fantasy' 20 Years Later: How One of Mariah Carey's Biggest Singles Became the Future of Pop Music 

Carey always looks flawless, especially on the red carpet with her new beau, Australian billionaire James Packer. The pair made their red carpet debut as a couple at the premiere of The Intern in September.

"I don't think either one of us thought, 'Here we are, making a debut,' he's not that guy," Carey dished to ET. "It was a lot for him. ... I just automatically pose. I can't help it!"

Luckily, Packer fit right in and didn't require many pointers from his glamorous girlfriend. Carey said she didn't offer him any tips!

"If I did that, I would have had to coach him instead of posing," she explained, "then I'd look bad in pictures."


WATCH: Mariah Carey and James Packer Step Out for Their Red Carpet Debut 

Carey is definitely calling the shots in A Christmas Melody, which marks her first directorial feature -- though Carey has been in the director's chair many times before.

"I've been directing so much of my own work for a really long time," she said. "A lot of music videos that I didn't take credit for." In fact, Carey got her first directing credit for her "Fantasy" music video in 1995, and ET was on set. See the flashback in the video above!

A Christmas Melody, debuting on December 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel, co-stars Mean Girls'Lacey Chabert.

"I was obsessed with Mean Girls, you have no idea," Carey gushed. "We've worn pink on Wednesday -- on Wednesdays we wear pink!"