Jennifer Lopez reveals which Oscar-nominated role she turned down
As fans reel in the wake of Jennifer Lopez’s shocking Oscars snub for her performance in Lorene Scafaria’s stripper drama Hustlers, the two-time Golden Globe-nominated actress has revealed she once turned down a juicy role that scored its eventual performer an Academy Award nomination.
Speaking to Vanity Fair as part of its annual Hollywood Issue, Lopez claimed she was offered the female lead opposite Richard Gere in Adrian Lyne’s 2002 thriller Unfaithful, a part that ultimately went to Diane Lane and scored the actress her first (and, to date, only) Oscar nod the following year.
Lopez went on to say the script “wasn’t all the way there” at the time it was offered to her, so she moved on.
“I should have known that Adrian Lyne was going to kill it, but I didn’t,” Lopez continued, referencing the Oscar-nominated Jacob’s Ladder and Fatal Attraction helmer behind the project. “Diane Lane was so perfect for it, and it was obviously meant to be her, but when I think about that…I want to literally, like, shoot my toe off. I do.”
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Instead, Lopez starred in two movies released in 2002: Michael Apted’s thriller Enough and Wayne Wang’s hit romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan, which grossed $163.8 million worldwide. Later that year, she also released her multi-platinum-selling album This Is Me… Then, a collection that spawned the hit single “All I Have,” Lopez’s most recent No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
To date, Unfaithful remains Lyne’s last film to hit theaters, though he is currently working on another thriller, Deep Water, starring Lopez’s ex Ben Affleck and Knives Out‘s Ana de Armas. After Hustlers became Lopez’s first live-action movie to gross more than $100 million at the domestic box office late last year, she can next be seen opposite Shakira as the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show co-headliner before starring in the upcoming romantic comedy Marry Me later this year.
Representatives for Unfaithful distributor 20th Century Fox did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment on Lopez’s remarks.
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