Jennifer Lopez shares her journey of overcoming stereotypes in Hollywood
J.Lo rose to fame by portraying the titular role of the tragic pop icon in the 1997 biopic 'Selena'
Jennifer Lopez opened up about overcoming Latina stereotypes in Hollywood, crediting her positive mindset for helping her carve out diverse roles in films.
While conversing with Variety's Award Circuits podcast, The Mother starlet said, "I heard someone say that positive change is slow — and it is — but as long as we’re moving in the right direction, that’s what matters.”
Lopez added, “But I think so long as we’re moving in the direction, that’s a good thing. When we take steps back, that’s when it gets really scary. And that’s why the state of what’s going on is scary.”
The Atlas star highlighted the urgency of now being the moment to “not be divisive” or focus on “the negative.”
She added that we need to “use our voices, to use our art, to put love out into the world, be that love, and be that positive kind of vision for what we want our lives to be.”
Lopez shared the challenges of her acting career and how hard it was to land a role as a Latina.
“Now I play in romantic comedies, I’m one of the romantic comedy actresses that is a go-to," she said.
J.Lo noted, "When I started, there weren’t a lot of roles for Latinas. I was auditioning for parts with accents and stereotypes. I kept thinking, ‘Why can’t I just play a romantic lead? Why can’t I be the girl next door?’ That belief—that conviction that I belonged — was what helped me break those moulds.”
Lopez rose to fame portraying the titular role of the tragic pop icon in the 1997 biopic Selena.
She then shifted to a music career, delivering early 2000s hits like Jenny From the Block and Waiting for Tonight.
