Jennifer Lopez‘s career almost took a VERY different turn!
Art nearly imitated reality for the 50-year-old, who revealed in W Magazine’s “Best Performances 2020” issue she considered turning to stripping when she was a struggling dancer early on in her journey to stardom.
Related: Jennifer Lopez Reigns Supreme As She Returns To Host ‘SNL’ A Third Time
The two-time Golden Globe nominee shared:
“There was a moment in my life when my friends, who were also dancers, told me about making thousands of dollars at clubs in New Jersey. They said, ‘You won’t need to be topless.’ It sounded awfully good when I was broke and eating pizza every day, but I never did it.”
Wow!! The On The Floor songstress most recently portrayed the scheming stripper Ramona in Hustlers, and as you’re likely aware, her co-star Cardi B got her start stripping. Going in-depth about her leading role, Lopez shared:
“I was a little nervous about doing this movie because I had never played someone this dark or complicated. I liked that Ramona, the character I play, and the other strippers were looked at as equals to their patrons, the guys on Wall Street.”
She continued:
“Ramona reminded me of that girlfriend we all have who is exciting but can also get you into trouble. You always miss that friend when she’s gone, but when you get together, you worry you might find yourself in some crazy situation. That’s Ramona.”
Related: Jennifer Recalls Fighting Back At A Director Who Wanted To See Her Boobs
The future Mrs. Alex Rodriguez is currently nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, along with Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Though the Academy Award selections have yet to be announced, she stands a good shot given the other two nominations.
But something you may not have known about the critically acclaimed performance is that she did it for FREE! Speaking with GQ earlier this year, the multi-hyphenate revealed why she turned down the cash:
“I do things because I love them. I didn’t get paid a whole bunch of money for Hustlers. I did it for free and produced it. I bank on myself. That’s the Jenny From the Block. I do what I want, I do what I love. But it was kind of a really different mindset to get into to play Ramona.”
Talk about loving what you do!! But she put the work in, BIG TIME. The icon spent countless hours training in the gym and on the pole ahead of filming the flick, and clearly her work paid off.
[Image via WENN/Instar & Jennifer Lopez/YouTube.]
Related Posts
