According to Hollywood star and singer Jennifer Lopez, she did not think that she was the "girl next door" and added that when she started in the industry, there were hardly any roles for "Latinas."
"I remember someone saying once that positive change is slow — and it is — but if we're just moving in the right direction, that's what counts. 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," she said on Variety's Award Circuits podcast.
The 'On The Floor' hitmaker came to prominence when she took on the title role of the tragic pop singer in the 1997 biopic 'Selena' before turning to a career in music herself, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
However, she found a way to stay active in acting, with appearances in 'Marry Me' and 'Shotgun Wedding' in recent years and ahead of two more upcoming films, said that she only really does it for the "love of the art" above anything else.
She said, "It is for the love of the art. It's not about the awards or accolades. It's all about telling stories that really matter — stories that help people feel seen, that inspire. That is what keeps me going."
The new film by Lopez, "Unstoppable," tells the real-life story of one-legged wrestler Anthony Robles who defied all odds to become a champion. The film, directed by Billy Goldenberg and starring Jharrel Jerome alongside him, is as much about the journey of Robles as it is about his mother, Judy, who fought hard to support him.
Speaking about the film, she said in variety.com: "It's not often that you have a movie like this.
"I identified with her. I understood the upbringing they had, the struggles, the relationships, and the sacrifices Judy made for her son. She realized, early on, that if she didn't accept her child, how would he ever accept himself? That moment of love and growth — it's universal."
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