Jennifer Lopez is easily one of the most famous celebrities of our time. But in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the Hustlers actress opened up about feeling like an underdog in her industry because she wasn’t born into money and may have not had the same advantages as others in show business.
No two ways about it, Jennifer Lopez is a superstar.
Her 2020 Superbowl performance is reason enough to dub her an icon. But J-Lo has done it all — acting, music, dancing, fashion — and as a result, she has become larger than life, and a massive staple in pop culture.
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In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the “I’m Real” singer opened up about how her rise to stardom didn’t come without hurdles.
Fortunately, she had her mother, Guadalupe Rodríguez, to condition her for the harsh realities of Hollywood.
The 52-year-old explained that while her mom was “a fun mom” she was also tough.
She also revealed that her mom was always very supportive of her pursuing the arts.
“Listen, my mom was also a fun mom,” she shared .
“My mom was also the mom who got me into musicals and introduced me to all kinds of music,” she continued, crediting her mom for her entire career.
“I am an entertainer because of my mom,” J-Lo said , adding that her mom taught her how to have thick skin in show business.
“But I’m also able to survive the things I’ve survived in this business because my mom was tough.”
“I don’t think she could realize what she was preparing me for, but she did,” the Marry Me actress went on .
Jennifer explained that being from the Bronx and being Puerto Rican made her feel like she was at a disadvantage at times.
“I always feel like I was scrapping from the bottom,” she admitted . “Always.”
“I always felt like I wasn’t the one that was supposed to be in the room,” she said, adding that not coming from a wealthy family made her feel out of place.
“That’s part of being Puerto Rican and from the Bronx and a woman,” she explained.
“You know what I mean? All of that stuff. Not being born into a family with money. Not knowing anybody in the business,” Jennifer continued.
In spite of feeling like the odds were stacked against her, she stayed determined. “I just went out there and said , ‘… I’m going to just try. I’m going to try to get in here.’”
J-Lo admitted that she has felt underrated in her career.
“It’s just 20, 25 years of people going, ‘Well, she’s not that great. She’s pretty and she makes cute music, but it’s not really this and that.’ You know, I think I’ve done some nice work over the years, some really nice work,” she said.
The “Wedding Planner” star wonders if she’ll ever be considered one of the greats.
“But it hurts to not be included,” she shared . “I don’t know if I will ever be. There is an inner circle, like, ‘We are the great artists.’ And then there’s the pop artists.”
h/t Rolling Stone
