| BIOGRAPHY
Jennifer Lopez's first serious screen role in Gregory Nava's
1995 Latino melodrama My Family followed years of training in
television movies and series. Like Rosie Perez, Lopez began her
career as a Fly Girl -- a dancer on the sketch comedy series,
In Living Color -- and appeared in music videos by Puff Daddy
and Janet Jackson. Her big break came in 1997 when she appeared
in the title role of Nava's Selena, the story of the successful
Tejano singer who was tragically murdered in 1995.
Lopez was at first cast as a femme fatale -- due in no small
part to her classic Latina beauty (she was born in the Bronx to
parents of Puerto Rican descent) -- and worked almost exclusively
with acclaimed directors: Francis Ford Coppola (Jack, 1996), Oliver
Stone (U-Turn, 1997), and Bob Rafelson (Blood and Wine, 1996).
In 1998, she had one of her most acclaimed roles, starring opposite
George Clooney in Out of Sight, Steven Soderbergh's adaptation
the Elmore Leonard novel. Cast as a deputy federal marshal who
falls for a charming criminal (Clooney), Lopez won raves for her
tough, sexy performance, and in the process, she became the highest
paid Latina actress in Hollywood history. That same year, she
earned an introduction to a new generation of fans by lending
her voice to the popular Antz (1998). The lavish but much more
adult-oriented thriller The Cell (2000) followed shortly thereafter,
bringing Lopez one of her first number-one openings.
In an attempt to curry favor from the rom-com crowd, Lopez lightened
things up a bit opposite Matthew McConaughey in 2001's romantic
comedy The Wedding Planner. Though Lopez was consistently smooth
in her frequent transitions from actress to songstress, her next
role in the supernatural romance Angel Eyes (2001) failed to click
with audiences and critics alike, and her role in the cathartic
revenge thriller Enough (2002) likewise disappeared from theaters
shortly after its release.
Though Maid in Manhattan (2002) was ultimately relegated to a
similar fate as her last few films, few could anticipate the outright
hostility with which her 2003 comedy Gigli would be greeted. In
the movie, Lopez was cast as a female gangster assigned to keep
an eye on a kidnapper (played by real-life boyfriend Ben Affleck)
who is holding a psychologically challenged young boy hostage.
The harsh public backlash against the film was likely due (at
least in part) to over-saturated media coverage of the duo's tumultuous
off-screen relationship. Though the film's failure wasn't exactly
what one would call a career-ender for either star, their shoddy
onscreen dynamic left many wondering if director Kevin Smith's
upcoming comedy Jersey Girl (also starring Affleck and Lopez)
was already doomed months before it hit the multiplexes.
In addition to her screen work, Lopez also made news with her
successful singing career on the dance/Latin pop circuit. In December
1999, she made news of a different sort when, following an altercation
at a Manhattan night club, she and Sean "Puffy" Combs
were involved in a high-speed chase with the police that resulted
in both of their arrests. After spending 14 hours in jail, Lopez
was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
|
FILMOGRAPHY
• Jersey Girl (2004)
• Party Tyme Karaoke - Girl Pop 3 (2004)
• Shall We Dance (2004)
• Shall We Dance? (2004)
• An Unfinished Life (2004)
• Gigli (2003)
• Enough (2002)
• Maid In Manhattan (2002)
• Angel Eyes (2001)
• The Wedding Planner (2001)
• The Cell (2000)
• Out of Sight (1998)
• Anaconda (1997)
• Selena (1997)
• U-Turn (1997)
• Blood and Wine (1996)
• Jack (1996)
• Money Train (1995)
|
