Jennifer Lopez breaks down Hustlers Oscars snub in Halftime documentary trailer
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Jennifer Lopez scores an emotional touchdown in the first trailer for her upcoming Netflix documentary Halftime.
Structured around the creation of the superstar's co-headlining 2020 Super Bowl performance with Shakira, the preview for the movie (below) chronicles not only the physical construction of the set, but also the personal framework of the woman behind the scenes.
"I lived in the public eye, and I really believed a lot of what they said," Lopez says at the beginning of the clip, while flashes of past interviews — including with a journalist who probes the entertainer about her "butt" and a shot of Jimmy Kimmel disparaging her singing voice — play onscreen.
"I said to her once, 'Doesn't this bother you?'" says Lopez's fiancé, Ben Affleck. "And she said, 'I expected this.'"
The preview then shifts focus to Lopez's journey through the 2018-2019 awards season, when she was heavily touted to be nominated for an Oscar — after scoring nominations at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Critics Choice Awards — for her performance in Lorene Scafaria's crime drama Hustlers. She was ultimately snubbed by the Academy.
"It was hard. I just had a very low self-esteem," Lopez admits while her voice plays over an image of her crying in bed. "I had to really figure out who I was and believe in that, and not believe in anything else."
Netflix Jennifer Lopez in the trailer for her 'Halftime' documentary
Lopez is later shown riling herself up while rehearsing for the Super Bowl show, stressing that she doesn't work "for an award," but rather "to connect with people and make them feel things" in the process.
"I'm trying to give you something with substance, not just us out there shaking our f---ing asses," she says. "I want something real."
Netflix Jennifer Lopez rehearses in the 'Halftime' documentary.
Speaking to EW for our 2018 cover story on Hustlers, Lopez said she gravitated toward the role of Ramona — a character inspired by the real-life story of a band of strippers who drugged and scammed countless sums of money out of their wealthy clients — for her grittiness.
"It's a full movie under the guise of a fun, sexy, dangerous world," Lopez said. "That's life, that's people. There's nothing worse than a f---ing one-note character who isn't complicated. We're all good and bad sometimes. At the end of the day, if you're not playing a character like that, you're not telling a real story."
Directed by Amanda Micheli, Halftime is set for a world premiere June 8 at the Tribeca Festival in New York City, followed by a Netflix streaming release date on June 14. Watch the first trailer above.
Netflix Jennifer Lopez in 'Halftime'
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