Jennifer Lopez is one of the most important Hispanic stars to come out of Hollywood. The pop star and actress has been part of legendary films such as Selena, The Wedding Planner, and Anaconda. As a singer and performer, she has also produced albums that have hit number one on the charts and brought Latino pop to the masses. The star has always made it a point to represent her roots in the mainstream.
However, despite her impressive filmography and discography, in a career spanning over thirty years, the actress says she regrets passing on one golden opportunity. The missed opportunity cost her another Golden Globe nomination and possibly an Academy Award nomination.
Jennifer Lopez’s Journey To Becoming JLo
Jennifer Lopez was born in The Bronx in New York and exhibited singing and dancing talents at a very young age. She mentioned that the musical West Side Story had a huge impact on her and inspired her to become an entertainer. The actress then decided to pursue a career in dance, much to the dismay of her parents, and moved to Manhattan.
After touring Europe with her dance group and her stint as a dancer for the band New Kids on the Block, Jennifer Lopez’s breakthrough role came when she was cast as a ‘Fly Girl’ in the sketch comedy TV show In Living Colour. The sketch show, which also starred then-budding comedians like Jaimie Foxx and Jim Carrey was her first high-profile gig. After the show, she worked as a dancer in Janet Jackson’s music video.
Lopez then started to pursue an acting career. She appeared in many films in a supporting role, such as Mi Familia, Money Train, and Blood and Wine, with the latter starring Jack Nicholson. Her breakthrough role as a leading actress came with the biopic Selena, where she played Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez. The film earned her a Golden Globe nomination and the film was selected by the National Film Registry for preservation.
Soon after, she launched her music career with the album On the 6. The album propelled her into pop stardom and her attendance at the Grammy Awards in her iconic green chiffon dress led to the creation of Google Images. She also became the first woman to have a number-one film as well as an album in the same week with the release of her rom-com The Wedding Planner as well as her sophomore album J.Lo.
Jennifer Lopez has since become one of the largest icons in Hollywood, with multiple films and stage appearances. In 2020, she performed at the Superbowl Half-Time show. Her performance became the most-viewed Superbowl show in history. In the same year, she received her second Golden Globe nomination for Hustlers. Despite such a sprawling career, JLo has one regret.
Jennifer Lopez Rejected Richard Gere’s Erotic Thriller
Unfaithful was an erotic thriller that starred Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Directed by Adriane Lyne, the film earned close to $120 million at the box office against a $50 million budget. It even earned lead actress Diane Lane a Golden Globe nomination and an Academy Award nomination for the role of Constance Sumner. However, the role of Sumner was first offered to Jennifer Lopez, who rejected it.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lopez stated that felt that the script was not “all the way there”. She said,
“…it was offered to me and the script, for me, wasn’t all the way there. I should have known that Adrian Lyne was going to kill it, but I didn’t. Diane Lane was so perfect for it, and it was obviously meant to be her, but when I think about that…I want to literally, like, shoot my toe off. I do.”
While Diane Lane was perfect for the role, it would have been interesting to see what Lopez would have brought to the table, as she later starred in the erotic drama The Boy Next Door.
Source: Vanity Fair
