Jennifer Lopez Daydreamed About Winning an Oscar While in the Hospital
Many actors fantasize about one day winning an Oscar, and Jennifer Lopez is no different. Often full of confidence, the Selena star hasn’t been shy about feeling worthy but intentionally excluded from an Oscar nomination.
But out of all the characters she’s played, there’s one overlooked role Lopez truly wanted Hollywood’s most coveted prize for. So much so that she dreamt about winning it after giving birth.
Jennifer Lopez felt she deserved an Oscar nom for ‘Hustlers’
Lopez, and many others, thought that the actor would finally get her long-awaited Oscar nomination with 2019’s Hustlers. The anticipation wasn’t unreasonable, as Lopez’s lauded performance as a stripper was recognized by all the other major ceremonies. She was nominated at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Indie Spirit Awards.
There’s an occasional pattern that implies after an actor is nominated by one of the aforementioned three awards, an Oscar nom is sure to follow. But for Lopez, that wasn’t the case, and she admitted that it stung.
“I was a little sad because there was a lot of buildup to it,” Lopez said according to Variety. “There were so many articles. I got so many good notices – more than ever in my career – and there was a lot of ‘She’s going to get nominated for an Oscar. It’s going to happen; if she doesn’t, you’re crazy.’”
When she wasn’t nominated, she not only was disappointed by the outcome, but she also felt that she disappointed her team.
“Most of my team has been with me for years – 20, 25 years – and I think they had a lot of hopes on that and they wanted it, too. So I felt like I let everyone down a little bit.”
But Hustlers wasn’t the only role Lopez truly felt was her calling to Oscar glory.
Jennifer Lopez fantasized about winning an Oscar for ‘El Cantante’ in the hospital
El Cantante is a 2006 biographical film starring Lopez and her ex-husband Marc Anthony. It followed the life of late salsa singer Hector Lavoe and was a passion project for Lopez for years. She not only starred in the film but served as the movie’s producer as well.
“This is the first time I’ve really produced – I worked on Bordertown [2006] too, but this was my baby,” Lopez once told Glamour. “I got the script from its inception, went through I don’t know how many directors and took it through five or six years of development. So I’m really proud of it.”
She was so proud of it, in fact, that she believed she’d win an Oscar for the movie. However, she doesn’t think the Academy paid the movie any attention.
“I feel like I had that [Oscar-worthy role] in El Cantante, but I don’t even think the Academy saw it. I feel like it’s their responsibility to do that, to see everything that’s out there, everything that could be great…Well, it’s a little bit frustrating,” Lopez told Latina (via New York magazine.)
She added that the Oscars took place a couple of days after she’d given birth. Because of this, she thought about what it would’ve been like to win the Oscars on her hospital bed, just days after her children were born.
“I was sitting there with my twins – I couldn’t have been happier – but I was like, ‘How dope would it have been if I would’ve won the Oscar and been here in my hospital bed accepting the award?’ ‘Thank you so much! I just want to thank the Academy!’ But we joked about it. It’s all good.”
Jennifer Lopez Still Doesn’t Feel Like She Belongs in Hollywood
Recently, TMZ reported that Lopez still feels like an outsider in the business. Despite her several accolades in the film industry and her longevity, at times she still sees herself not fitting in. The publication theorizes that part of the reason for this could be because of her perceived Oscar snubs.
“I think for me, I know it’s important for all of us to feel like we belong, um, and like most people, there are so many times in your life when you feel like an outsider. I feel like that in Hollywood sometimes,” Lopez said.
