 | This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(January 2025) |
Jennifer Lopez has starred in over thirty-five feature films during a career that spans four decades as an actor and a producer. Lopez has been nominated for Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globes and Film Independent Spirit Awards, among other accolades. [1] [2] [3] [4] Lopez also rose to become the highest paid actor of Latin descent in Hollywood, and one of the highest paid actors in all of Hollywood during the late-nineties and into the current millennium, making in the region of $20 million USD per film role. [5] [6] She is also reportedly the richest actress in Hollywood, with an estimated net worth of $400 million. [7] [8]
Contents
Lopez received her first high-profile job in 1992 as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color , and then made two guest appearances on the television series South Central . She then appeared in the made-for-television movie Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7 (1993) and starred as Melinda Lopez in the short-lived television series Second Chances (1993), and its spin-off, Hotel Malibu (1994). Neither were well received. [9]
Lopez's first significant acting role was in Gregory Nava's saga, My Family , which secured her a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female in 1996. A higher profile role came in the 1995 crime thriller, Money Train , alongside Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson, which received mixed reviews and was not a financial success. [10] Her next two film roles were in Francis Ford Coppola's Jack and Bob Rafelson's postmodern film noir, Blood and Wine (1997). [11] [12]
Lopez won her first leading role playing Selena Quintanilla in the 1997 biopic Selena . The film was a commercial and critical success and Lopez was Golden Globe-nominated for her performance as the late Tejano singer. [13] This film is often cited by critics as Lopez' breakout role. [14] [15] Later that same year, Lopez starred as Terri Chavez in the film Anaconda , which found negative reviews from many critics, although it was a major box office success. [16] In 1998, Lopez starred alongside George Clooney in Steven Soderbergh's Oscar-nominated crime film Out of Sight (1998). The film met with positive reviews and was a box office success. [17] In the same year, Lopez also lent her voice to the animated film Antz .
The psychological thriller The Cell was ranked by Roger Ebert among his top-ten films of the year 2000. [18] It grossed over $100 million worldwide and reached No. 1 at the domestic box office. [19] [20] In 2001, Lopez starred in the films The Wedding Planner and Angel Eyes , with both receiving mixed reviews. With the simultaneous release of The Wedding Planner and her second album, J.Lo , Lopez became the first and only artist to have a number one film at the US box office and a number one album on the Billboard 200 at the same time. [5] In 2002, Lopez starred alongside Ralph Fiennes in the romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan , which received mixed reviews, but was a significant box office success, grossing over $160 million worldwide and reaching number one at the domestic box office. [21] [22]
In 2003 and 2004 Lopez starred alongside then-boyfriend Ben Affleck in the films Gigli and Jersey Girl ; Gigli is considered one of the worst films of all time, [23] Lopez, however, remained a major box office attraction, co-starring with Richard Gere in the 2004 film Shall We Dance? , which grossed over $170 million worldwide, [24] and in the 2005 romantic comedy, Monster-in-Law , which went to No. 1 at the domestic box office and grossed over $155 million worldwide. [25] Following the wide commercial success of these projects, Lopez starred in An Unfinished Life (2005). Her producing her own projects began in earnest with El Cantante (2006) and Bordertown , and in 2006 and 2007 Lopez was executive producer on the television series South Beach and DanceLife , the film Feel the Noise , and the mini-series Jennifer Lopez Presents: Como Ama una Mujer .
Following the birth of her twins in 2008, Lopez took a break from her career. She made a return to cinema screens and television in 2010, starring in the film The Back-Up Plan , which went to No. 2 at the domestic weekend box office. [26] In 2012, she launched ¡Q'Viva! The Chosen , a talent show created by Simon Fuller. In 2012, Lopez also co-starred alongside an ensemble cast consisting of Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Matthew Morrison and Dennis Quaid in the film What to Expect When You're Expecting . [27]
Next for Lopez was a co-starring role alongside Jason Statham in the 2013 film, Parker , which was adapted from Donald Westlake's novel Flashfire. Lopez's role was expanded upon her involvement in the project, which bowed at 5th place on the domestic box office chart during its opening weekend, grossing over $7 million and ultimately earning over $48.5 million world-wide. [28] Also in 2013, Lopez was instrumental in bringing the television series, The Fosters , to fruition, working as co-executive producer on the show, which ran for five seasons on Freeform. In 2018, a spin-off show, Good Trouble , was commissioned and also ran for five seasons, until 2024, with Lopez continuing as co-executive producer. The Fosters was awarded the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2014 GLAAD Media Award s, whilst Lopez was recognised with the GLAAD Vanguard Award. [29] Both The Fosters and Good Trouble were nominated for GLAAD Media Award s and Teen Choice Awards during their run, whilst The Fosters was also awarded the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming in 2015. [30]
Lopez next starred in 2015's The Boy Next Door , a low budget thriller that was a commercial success, debuting at No. 2 on the domestic box office weekend chart. [31] Also in 2015, Lopez co-starred with Viola Davis in the thriller Lila & Eve and voiced the character Lucy Tucci in the DreamWorks Animation film Home . She recorded the song "Feel the Light" for the animated film's soundtrack, and did voice work for 2016's Ice Age: Collision Course . Lopez produced and starred in three seasons of the NBC crime series, Shades of Blue . Lopez won a People's Choice Award in 2017 for her performance as detective Harlee Santos in the series, which ran for three seasons between 2016 and 2018. [32] Lopez also starred in the 2018 film Second Act , which peaked at No. 6 on the domestic weekend box office chart, spending three weeks inside the top-ten and ultimately grossing over $72 million worldwide. Lopez also recorded "Limitless", the theme song from Second Act, and directed its music video.
Lopez next produced and starred in the 2019 film, Hustlers , and was highly praised for her performance, which was nominated for Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Film Independent Spirit Awards. Lopez was also awarded the Palm Springs International Film Festival Spotlight Award. Hustlers grossed over $157 million worldwide. In 2022, Lopez produced and starred in Marry Me . Also in 2022, Lopez produced and starred in Shotgun Wedding , and was the subject of Amanda Micheli's 2022 Netflix documentary, Halftime , which peaked at No. 2 worldwide, accumulating 27.25 million viewing hours during its first two weeks on release. [33] In June of 2021, Lopez and Netflix announced a multi-year first-look deal [34] that resulted in The Mother becoming the most-watched film on Netflix in 2023. [35]
On February 16, 2024, Lopez released the album and musical project, This Is Me... Now , which included the film This Is Me... Now: A Love Story . Lopez co-wrote the film's screenplay along with Matt Walton and financed the $20 million project herself, when the studio originally set to distribute the film dropped out at the "eleventh hour". [36] Lopez collaborated on the film with director, Dave Meyers, who previously worked with Lopez on the music videos for "I'm Real", "I'm Gonna Be Alright", and "All I Have". Inspired by Lopez's own life, This Is Me... Now: A Love Story screened exclusively on Amazon Prime and was positively received by critics, [37] including Robbie Collin, who called the film an "astonishing pop-art tour de force" in his four star review for The Daily Telegraph , [38] whilst the three star review in Empire Magazine praised the film's audacity and how earnest it is. [39] This Is Me... Now: A Love Story debuted at No. 2 worldwide on Amazon Prime's top-ten movies. It subsequently became the No. 1 film worldwide on the streaming platform [40] after reaching the top position in over a dozen countries, including North America. [41] A documentary about the making of the film, entitled The Greatest Love Story Never Told, was also a hit on Prime, reaching the top-ten worldwide in its own right. Made in conjunction with Artists Equity and featuring Ben Affleck, the documentary was instigated during pre-production of the film and after the album had been recorded. A concert special featuring Lopez performing songs from the album was subsequently released on Apple TV+.
Lopez next starred in the science fiction film Atlas , which was released on May 25, 2024 and went to number one worldwide on Netflix, reaching the top position in 67 countries during its first 24 hours on release, [42] and 73 countries over its first weekend. [42] [43] Atlas was the 7th most-watched film on Netflix in 2024 according to views, with 77.1 million views, and was the 4th most-watched film on Netflix in 2024 according to hours viewed, with 154.2 million hours viewed. [44] The film cost a reported $100 million. [45] Lopez was paid $16.5 million for her role as star and producer. [46] Continuing with a slate of projects in 2024, Lopez appeared in William Goldenberg's directorial debut, Unstoppable , which is based on the life of amateur wrestler, Anthony Robles. Premiering at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival, [47] Unstoppable received largely positive reviews, with Lopez being praised for her performance as Judy Robles, the mother of Anthony Robles. [48] [49] [50] On December 5, Lopez was the recipient of the IndieWire Maverick Award for her performance in the Unstoppable, [51] whilst Variety and Amazon Prime presented a Jennifer Lopez career retrospective. [52] Lopez was awarded with Variety's "Legend & Groundbreaker Award" at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival, [53] being presented with the award by her Maid in Manhattan co-star, Ralph Fiennes. [54] [55] Unstoppable was released in select theatres on December 6th, 2024, and screened exclusively on Amazon Prime from January 16th, 2025, where it went to number one in 31 countries and top-ten in 51 countries during its first 24 hours on release. [56]
Lopez starred in a new film adaptation of the 1993 stage play Kiss of the Spider Woman , which was directed by Bill Condon and premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. [57] Also announced and in development during 2024 is a new animated Bob the Builder movie, which Lopez will produce, with Anthony Ramos voicing the title character. [58] Distribution rights were won by Amazon MGM Studios after a bidding war that found interest from Netflix and Skydance Productions. [59] In 2025, Lopez will also produce and star in Office Romance, which will co-star Brett Goldstein. The Office Romance screenplay was written by Goldstein and Joe Kelly. [60] Distribution rights for the film were won by Netflix after a "hot bidding war." Production is scheduled to begin in March 2025, with Ol Parker attached to direct. [61]
Lopez remains the only actor to have a number one film at the US box office and a number one album on the Billboard 200 at the same time. Lopez is a member of the Producers Guild of America and produces via her own production company, Nuyorican Productions.
