Jennifer Lopez Talks About Fighting Latina Stereotypes in Hollywood

Jennifer Lopez opens up about fighting Latina stereotypes during the early days of her career.

“There are many different people living their stories [in America],” Lopez, 55, said during the “Variety Awards Circuit” podcast episode on Thursday, Nov. 28. “That was always my goal as an actress, as a producer, was to break the mold of playing a Latina, to play a maid or a housekeeper or a store clerk. Whatever it was, those kinds of stereotypes, and they broke stereotypes. But also the people who act in this film.”

Lopez said that “there weren’t a lot of roles for Latinas” when she started out. “I was auditioning for parts with unusual voices and ideas. I kept thinking, ‘Why can’t I play the love game? Why can’t I be the girl next door?’” he continued, per Variety. “That belief – that conviction that I belong – is what helped me overcome those diseases.”

Lopez, who grew up in the Bronx with Puerto Rican parents, remembers struggling to fit in and feel like she belonged.

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Jennifer Lopez opened up about navigating a “challenging relationship” as a mother amid her ongoing divorce from estranged husband Ben Affleck. Lopez, 55, went on Tuesday, November 5, to London to screen her new film Unstoppable, as reported by Hello! Magazine, which is expected to hit theaters on December 6. During a Q&A after the screening, […]

“If you come from a poor place and grow up in the places where we grew up, you think you don’t belong or you don’t fit in certain rooms,” he said. “I always find it’s an inner voice. It’s kind of really getting in touch with that inner voice and what you’re telling yourself, which is really important. And sometimes that might be your mom and dad’s voice in your head, and at some point it’s your responsibility to replace that voice with your own strong voice. That means, ‘I can do this. I belong here. I am good enough. I do the right things. I work hard. I have talent.’”

“And it’s difficult because you have many people who tell you that you don’t stay all the time, especially if you choose a job like this, where a lot of this is doing things for yourself,” he continued.

Lopez’s latest film, It cannot be stoppedtells the story of the journey of a one-legged warrior Anthony Robleswho won the national championship in 2011. In the autobiographical documentary, Lopez plays Robles’ mother, Judy.

“I really connected with him. I really understood him, where he was coming from,” Lopez told the newspaper. “With the problems they went through, I understood very well the way they were brought up. I understood, as I said, a challenging relationship. Wanting to make things work, having kids. Trying to be the best mom you can be, being a great mom. She is a great mother. He’s still finding his way later in life, isn’t he? Because he was forced to become an adult quickly.”