The film Jennifer Lopez admits was her “lowest point”
The world of music and cinema may share many similarities, but as multiple performers have found out, traversing from one medium to the other is no walk in the park. One such star is Jennifer Lopez, who found out alongside the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Rhianna, Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears and even Ringo Starr that they should stick to a music career.
Indeed, only a handful of actors throughout the history of cinema have put in great screen performances, with the likes of Justin Timberlake in David Fincher’s The Social Network, Lady Gaga in A Star is Born, or even Mick Jagger in Performance being rare exceptions to the rule. In fact, there are many singers who have proved that they are multi-faceted stars. Though, just because it can be done doesn’t mean it should be done.
Though Jennifer Lopez found early success on the Hollywood silver screen, receiving her first Golden Globe nomination in 1997 for the movie Selena, her career started on the stage as a dancer and singer. Soon missing the allure of the stage lights, Lopez returned to her music career in 1999, releasing her debut album On the 6 in 1999, featuring classics such as ‘Waiting for Tonight’ and ‘If You Had My Love’.
Her time in front of the movie cameras was re-energised in 2002, however, when she sparked up a relationship with Hollywood actor Ben Affleck and later starred alongside him in the seven-time Razzie-winning movie Gigli.
Winning the Razzie award for Worst’ Comedy’ of Our First 25 Years in 2005, whilst being nominated for Worst Picture of the Decade in 2010, it’s fair to say that Martin Brest’s comedy crime drama was a major critical and commercial bomb. Starring lovebirds Affleck and Lopez, the movie tells the story of a mobster who is sent to kidnap the brother of a district attorney and the woman who joins him to ensure he doesn’t mess up the job.
“I think the worst, probably lowest point was the whole Gigli era. It was pretty tough,” Lopez admitted in an interview with HuffPost Live, candidly speaking about the disaster, which co-starred the likes of Christopher Walken, Justin Bartha and Lenny Venito.
Reflecting on the movie and her time in the industry spotlight, she adds, “It was a very badly reviewed film. I was in a high-profile relationship at the time that fell apart in a really bad way, and so the kind of mix of those two things and the tabloid press had just come into existence at the time, so I was like a poster child for that moment. I was in the tabloids every other week about how my life was falling apart. It was a tough time”.
Despite the major flop and her intense time under media scrutiny, Lopez states that she doesn’t regret anything about the era, telling the publication, “No. No regrets. I would do it all over again I think. I really would”.
Continuing, she adds, “I just feel like everything is part of your story and your journey and is meant to be and helps you grow if you’re willing to look at it, and I’m willing to look”.
Whilst Gigli is undoubtedly a difficult movie to admit that you don’t regret, Lopez’s strength in the face of adversity is bold and truly commendable.
