Jennifer Lopez Opens Up on Struggle To Make Low-Budget Films

The actress, who was joined at the ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel in Century City by her fiancé Alex Rodriguez and her Hustlers director Lorene Scafaria, elaborated on the unique qualities of Hustlers among the projects spanning her substantial, multifaceted career.

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Jennifer Lopez has become an icon that she is today but largely for her singing career over the years. However, the singer managed to add a very important feather to her acting cap with her impressive performance in Hustlers.

Lopez says she’s always gotten a sense that they’ve appreciated what she’s tried to put on the screen.

“From the beginning, I feel like people took me seriously as an actress, and that was great,” Lopez told The Hollywood Reporter on the way into the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, where she collected the latest in a growing collection of best supporting actress accolades for her much-praised turn in Hustlers.

“It's incredible to be recognized by L.A. film critics – I mean, this is the industry. This is the town,” Lopez said on the red carpet. “I feel like sometimes I'm not on this planet, and I'm in an alternate universe right now, but I'm just trying to be present in the moment. I'm so grateful for everything. You know, Hustlers was a movie we made in 29 days on a low budget. I didn't take any money for it because I believed in the material, I believed that it was a great role for me. And so to be standing here tonight is just, like, mind-blowing.”

The actress, who was joined at the ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel in Century City by her fiancé Alex Rodriguez and her Hustlers director Lorene Scafaria, elaborated on the unique qualities of Hustlers among the projects spanning her substantial, multifaceted career.

“There was something that spoke to me about this film and this role, not only at this time in my life, but this time in our world,” she said. “I was offered an opportunity to shine a light on women who are usually spinning on the periphery of the action. Complicated multi-dimensional women, beautifully drawn, who were both heroes and victims of a system that proceeded them. And I immediately felt like I had to get this film made.”

Calling her role as a savvy stripper with an ambitious illegal schemes, “a female character with the type of depth that is usually reserved for the men in Hollywood,” Lopez received whoops of recognition from the audience.

“Getting this movie made was not only a labor of love, but one of sheer will and grit. We women banded together and every time we heard, ‘No way’ – and we heard it often – we just pushed harder,” Lopez added. “To all of you talented women out there writing films, producing films, directing films, support one another. Support one another, please, and tell your stories. And remember, 'no' is not an answer. It's an opportunity.”

Lopez wasn’t the only one enjoying a victory lap of critical favor at the LAFCA ceremony after a lengthy career. Mary Kay Place, named best actress for her turn in the indie Diane, was pleased to be recognized for delivering career-high work after over four decades on the business.

“I've hung in there. I work cheap,” she chuckled. “I have had interesting projects throughout the years and challenging ones and funny ones and serious ones. And I just am very grateful for it.” And also like Lopez, she was still processing that Diane was the project that re-thrust her into the limelight. “It was really a very, very, very low budget film, and we are an unusual unconventional film. And it's not everybody's cup of tea, but the people that are moved by it seemed to be profoundly moved by it... It's like the little movie that could. It slowly built up steam, it's just mind-blowing.”

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