Jennifer Lopez Says Stripping in Hustlers Was a 'Brand-New Feeling': You're 'Practically Naked'
Jennifer Lopez has been performing on concert stages for years — but that wasn’t enough to prepare the actress and singer for her role as a stripper in the upcoming film Hustlers.
“I’m used to being on stage in sexy costumes, but I have three layers of tights and fishnets and a bodysuit,” Lopez said in a new interview with ES Magazine. “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,” she added, “but you’re really out there, physically, emotionally and psychologically.”
Lopez, who celebrated her 50th birthday in July, also opened up to the magazine about her recent milestone.
“Did I think I would be doing this at 50? I didn’t think I’d stop, but I didn’t know that it would be the best moment of my life,” she shared. “We’re conditioned to think, as women, that it would be over by now. And the truth is, it’s not like that at all. I find myself growing and getting better every year and that’s exciting.”
Lopez stars alongside Constance Wu, Cardi B, Lili Reinhart and Keke Palmer, among others, in the highly anticipated film. Hustlers follows Lopez’s character Ramona, the head of a successful strip club, as she aims to get the upper hand on her Wall Street clients with the help of her crew.
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In a recent interview with Variety, Lopez revealed that she almost turned down the role in order to spend more time with her family and fiancé Alex Rodriguez.
“We were supposed to do it last summer, and I had worked so much,” the star explained. “I was like, ‘I have to stay home with my kids and Alex.’“
Fortunately for all of her fans, director Lorene Scafaria was eventually able to persuade Lopez to stay with the project by postponing production.
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The film, which also stars Julia Stiles, was inspired by a true story detailed in a New York Magazine article titled “The Hustlers at Scores,” which was first published in December 2015.
Hustlers hits theaters Sept. 13.
