One actor and one performance shaped Jennifer Lopez’s entire career: “My faith was restored”
Jennifer Lopez has had a fascinating career, more frequently assessed for her role as a celebrity than judged for the quality of her acting, which remains an active debate.
Although Lopez showed real promise in the 1990s when she appeared in films like Selena and Out of Sight, she would later venture into pop music, where she would find immensely greater success.
Her current standing in the film industry is a bit unusual, as while she was widely praised for her role in the 2019 crime dramedy Hustlers, Lopez seemed to take the fact that she didn’t receive an Academy Award nomination for her performance very personally; it even became the subject of a controversial documentary about her life.
More recently, she took on a key role in Kiss of the Spider-Woman, a musical adaptation of the Broadway show, which was itself inspired by an Oscar-winning 1985 film that starred the late great William Hurt. It seemingly appeared that her juicy supporting role could once again put her in the Oscar race, but the project was such a massive bomb that her name never crossed the minds of awards voters.
Lopez’s obsession with winning an Oscar has always been a bit unusual, considering that she has already earned many prizes for her work in the music industry, and is generally considered a not-so-great onscreen performer. However, her persistent desire for the golden statuette does make a little bit more sense when considering what a significant impact seeing Rita Moreno in West Side Story had on her when she was a child.
“I sat in that dark theatre crying because here was my proof that my people could sing, dance, and act,” Lopez said, “Someone gave Rita Moreno a chance, so why couldn’t I get that chance? I saw the movie about a million times on the big screen, and especially when I felt sad about my life. Each time I walked out of the theatre, my own dreams were reenergized. My faith was restored.”
Feeling apprehensive about opportunities available for Hispanic stars, it’s understandable why Lopez saw Moreno as such a huge inspiration, especially because while West Side Story is one of the best of the classic musicals ever made, it was her performance that solidified it as an eternal piece in popular culture, winning her the Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’.
The move served as a major step forward in Latin representation in both cinema and music, an accolade that was somewhat undercut when the film eventually attracted some backlash over its perceived misrepresentation of Hispanic culture. However, the 2021 remake, directed by Steven Spielberg, worked harder to ensure that the film was more respectful in that sense, while also bringing back Moreno for a key supporting role, which shows how she’s continued to try new things since, standing as an immensely versatile talent.
Unfortunately for Lopez, Moreno seemed to have already passed the torch to another great Latina actor who will seemingly occupy her space in the industry, with 2021’s West Side Story featuring Arina DeBose in her breakout role of Maria, the character Moreno originally played, which also won her the younger actor the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ trophy.
