How ‘Hustlers’ Was a Celebration for Jennifer Lopez According to This Director
Jennifer Lopez experienced another highlight in her career when she starred in the 2019 feature Hustlers. Both Lopez and the film enjoyed near-unanimous praise after its release. But additionally, the feature was seen as a kind of celebration for the veteran star. ‘Hustlers’ celebrated 50-year-old Jennifer Lopez
How ‘Hustlers’ made turning 50 even better for Jennifer Lopez
Hustlers saw Lopez explore a bit of new territory. The actor generated a lot of buzz playing the role of a veteran stripper taking another younger dancer under her wing. Lopez turned 50 at the time, and had already starred in a wide variety of films. But even with all of her experience, Hustlers still managed to take Lopez out of her comfort zone.
“I’m used to being on stage in sexy costumes, but I have three layers of tights and fishnets and a bodysuit,” Lopez once said in an interview with Standard. “It was a brand-new feeling to come out practically naked, in front of all those men—300 extras hooting and hollering—and dance for money.”
“There’s something liberating and empowering about it, but you’re really out there, physically, emotionally and psychologically,” Lopez added about the experience.
At the same time, Hustlers coincided nicely with Lopez reaching the fifth decade of her life. Both the experience and the praise she received from the movie made turning 50 even better for the star.
“Did I think I would be doing this at 50?” she said. “I didn’t think I’d stop, but I didn’t know that it would be the best moment of my life.”
Lopez’s Hustlers director, Lorene Scafaria, couldn’t wait for audiences to see Lopez in the role. So much so she considered Hustlers a celebration for its lead. In an interview with Variety, Scafaria said she wanted to “treat it more like a sports movie, to highlight the athleticism of it, and to celebrate that this is Jennifer Lopez at 50 years old, better than we’ve ever seen her.”
Jennifer Lopez felt ‘Hustlers’ brought women together like no other film she’d ever done
What might’ve made Hustlers even more poignant was its emergence in the midst of the MeToo movement. In this instance, Hustlers might not just have been a celebration of Lopez, but also a celebration of progress within the film industry. In addition to working with a female director, Lopez found herself teaming with an all female cast. This included her co-star Constance Wu, Lili Reinart, Cardi B, Julia Stiles, and others. Lopez had been in the film industry for a long time, and had never seen anything like the sisterhood in Hustlers.
“Having all women on the set — in front of the camera, behind the camera, behind the scenes with producers — it’s definitely a different experience. It’s not something that happens every day in Hollywood,” Lopez once said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve done, I don’t know, 40 movies or something like that. It’s never happened. I don’t think it’s ever happened.”
She felt the amount of balance she and the Hustlers cast had could’ve been a good sign of Hollywood’s future.
“I’ve starred in films, and I’ve had a woman director here and there,” she said. “It’s mostly men in front of the camera, behind the camera. All the stars are usually men besides one woman. So this was a beautiful thing in that it was really equal. It’s kind of like how the world should be. Where the men are treating the woman with all the respect they deserve. The women are appreciating the men for all they’re doing. It’s an environment where everybody can thrive.”
