Jennifer Lopez invites you into her nest in ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’
Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna and Tonatiu are starring in Kiss of the Spider-Woman, a new big-screen version of the Broadway musical set in a prison.
NEW YORK – If you went to see “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway decades ago, there’s a good chance you bought merchandise from Jennifer Lopez.
Before she became a pop hitmaker and Golden Globe-nominated actress, Lopez was a young dancer dancing in big cities and selling souvenir programs outside the Majestic Theater. As a child, Barbra Streisand and Chita Rivera were her north stars, but a production of “Godspell” in high school opened her eyes to the thrills of musical theater.
“Broadway was always a dream. When I first started, I knew Broadway was where I would end up,” the Bronx native told USA TODAY on a recent afternoon. But in the early 1990s, her appearance in In Living Color gave way to her breakout role in Selena, and soon “my life took a different trajectory.”
But all roads eventually led back to her first musical film, Kiss of the Spider-Woman (in theaters October 10). The film tells the story of Molina (Tonatiu), a gay Argentine prisoner who escapes into the fantasy of the silver screen. Lopez, 56, has three different characters living in Molina’s mind: the movie siren Ingrid Luna, the vampire Aurora and the venomous Spider-Woman.
“She connected on a really deep level with the script and what was going on in different layers,” says writer and director Bill Condon, who was amazed by the “vulnerability” and “grit” that Lopez brought to the project.
Lopez filmed “Spider-Woman” last year in the months before splitting from her husband, Ben Affleck, who is also a producer on the film. She talks about expressing her emotions, coming back to herself, and what she learned from her shocking Oscar win for 2019’s Hustlers.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
In playing these characters, were there parts of yourself that you hadn’t had a chance to show before?
Jennifer Lopez: Ever since I saw West Side Story when I was little, I dreamed of becoming a Hollywood star. In doing so, I was finally able to become the star of the movie musicals I grew up watching. I don’t think people have ever seen me sing or dance in this style, even though I’ve been singing and dancing in this style since I was young.
Was there a time in your career when you felt boxed in or undervalued?
I’ve had a very blessed career from the beginning. I had to work hard, but I feel like what’s mine is mine. Have I ever looked at this and thought, “Oh my God, I wish I had done this movie or that movie”? yes of course. Every actor feels like that sometimes. But the truth is, I love my trajectory. I love the way my life has gone and the things that have come my way. Because they came to me when I was really ready, and not right before.
I appreciate every project I do because it has something that helps me to another level, not only as an artist but as a human being. The projects you need at different times in your life appear in the moment. It seems like a very strong coincidence that what I experience and work on manifests itself in the artistic projects of my life.
You’ve said that the period of making this film was both the happiest and toughest time of your life. Were you able to reflect those emotions in your performance? What kind of catharsis did it give you?
One hundred percent. You can’t separate who you are from how you perform in any given moment. It’s really about being in the present, and when I was filming Kiss of the Spider Woman, Aurora, a woman who felt like she was cursed by love. Spider-Woman just wanted a kiss. And Ingrid Luna was such a powerful figure of an entertainer. All of them were a big part of my life. I was very lucky that this came out in the actual performance as well. I don’t know if I would be able to play the character today the same way I played it then.
I’ve never heard actors talk more candidly about awards season than in the documentary “Halftime.” What is the most important lesson you learned from your experience on “Hustlers”?
I learned a lot from that because in a way, you start giving importance to things that aren’t important. Even if it’s nice and fun, that’s not the point. For me,[Spider-Woman]has a very big mission right now. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that[this story]is taking on a new iteration at a time when Latino and queer communities are so targeted, demonized, and marginalized. This message needed to be brought to the surface once again to remind people to see the humanity in each other.
You felt a newfound confidence and joy from this film, what are you most excited about for the next chapter?
I’ve always loved musicals, but now I’ve rekindled that feeling. You’ll see that incorporated a lot into my career going forward, whether it’s my stay in Las Vegas or the movies I choose. It’s a return to who I used to be and my essence, but it also allows me to become a brand new person, which is very exciting. It’s a very exciting time! We continue to change and grow. And then come back to being an even better version of yourself.
