Jennifer Lopez is earning Oscar buzz for her performance in Hustlers — and now the actress is claiming she did it all for “free.”
In GQ‘s new Men of the Year issue, the performer, who was named the magazine’s Icon of the Year, opened up about the making of the critically acclaimed stripper drama.
“I do things because I love them. I didn’t get paid a whole bunch of money for Hustlers,” she said to GQ. “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.”
The outlet reported that she was not paid — “at least, not up front” — to make the film, meaning it’s likely she profited after the film went on to become a financial success for STX Entertainment, the studio that financed it.
The drama opened earlier this year to an estimated $33.2 million, the highest opening of Lopez’s career, and to widespread glowing reviews. She credits the film’s success to the female powerhouse behind its fruition.
“It became a movement,” Lopez explained. “This is our movie, where we run s—. They know it’s all women producers, woman director, woman writer, all women starring in it. We’ve been watching men take advantage of women in movies for a long time, so it was a fun ride to see the tables turned.”
And one of the things she loved about playing Ramona, an undeniable force in the story, was the character’s unwavering independence from men.
“She was so self-sufficient,” Lopez said of Ramona, who’s based on a real-life person. “For me, who grew up with my sister sleeping in the same bed, and then went from one relationship to the other, playing that character, and having to be that independent and in charge, I was just like, ‘God, this is so empowering.'”
But that doesn’t mean the “Dinero” singer hasn’t found her perfect match in fiancé Alex Rodriguez, who she said is so similar to her in their shared ambition.
“We’re really alike in our drive, in our ambition. He’s an athlete,” she told GQ. “He wanted to be the best. I’m the same way. I just want to be great at what I do. We’re both like that.”
The Second Act star added, “We’re both super-hard workers. We’re driven by our passions. And we have a tremendous amount of respect for each other.”
While this past year has been undoubtedly a good one for Lopez — with her engagement, 50th birthday, the surprise Versace catwalk and Hustlers — 2020 is already gearing up be another incredible year for Lopez, who will be performing at the Super Bowl with fellow Latina artist Shakira.
“I feel like it’s an amazing platform and one of the biggest in the world to put out whatever message you want to put out there,” she told GQ, hinting that there may be a special meaning behind their performance.
Lopez added, “I feel that it’s a great thing to have two Latina women in Miami headlining the Super Bowl, and what we could do with those 12 to 14 minutes to make people understand our worth and value in this country.… I think it could be a really beautiful celebration.”
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