Jennifer Lopez Showed Guests Who’s Boss at Last Night’s New York Screening for Hustlers
“Hi, my name is Alexander Wang....for those of you who don’t know me,” said the fashion designer as he introduced the most anticipated and sultry film of the season, Hustlers, at Metrograph last night. Directed by Lorene Scafaria and featuring a powerhouse female cast (Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer, and Cardi B—just to name a few) we were in for a wild ride. Wang continued: “The message of female empowerment is something I’m really so inspired by. I’ve been raised and been around very strong, powerful, alpha females and to have this honor tonight, to host this screening with the cast and director, and knowing this product was put together by mostly all females, I just really found it to be a super inspiring story.”
Under violet lights and in between bites of juicy burger sliders and sips of Champagne, I could overhear snippets of conversation as guests waited to take their seats in anticipation of the screening. It wasn’t until Lopez walked into the theater that the pulse of the party immediately started to race. Wearing a corseted Balmain Canadian tuxedo, reminiscent of her 2000 J.Lo album cover, Lopez handed over her Chanel purse before posing for photos. The queen hath arrived!
In Hustlers, based on a New York Magazine article by Jessica Pressler, we’re first introduced to Destiny (played by Wu). A newbie to striptease, Destiny strikes an unlikely friendship with veteran Ramona (played by Lopez), who makes pole dancing look like a walk in the park. (There’s a certain scene involving Fiona Applegate’s “Criminal” that I guarantee will inspire every woman in America to book a pole dancing class.) Romana takes Wu under her wing, or in this case, under her chinchilla coat, and together they reverse the hunter/prey roles with their seedy Wall Street clientele. It's a tale about Louboutin-wearing strippers with hearts of gold who use their seductive superpowers for good—a heart-stirring narrative about the power of female friendships.
Hustlers seduces on screen this Friday, September 13th.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
