Yahoo Lifestyle Jennifer Lopez Reveals She Auditioned for Musicals “Evita”, “Chicago ”and “Nine ”Before Landing “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
"There was a lot of things that I had always hoped that I could do and just wasn’t the right time. But this is the right thing," Lopez said at the premiere
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Jennifer Lopez during the Kiss of the Spider Woman premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 26, 2025Jennifer Lopez knows that sometimes roles happen (or don't!) for a reason.
The actress spoke with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the Kiss of the Spider Woman premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Sunday, Jan. 26, and revealed some other musicals that she previously tried out for but didn't get.
“I remember auditioning for Evita, I remember auditioning for Chicago and for Nine — getting very close on Nine,” said Lopez, 55. “There was a lot of things that I had always hoped that I could do and just wasn’t the right time. But this is the right thing.”
Evita (1996) starred Madonna as Argentinian First Lady Eva Perón, while 2002's Chicago made waves with Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones as leads Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, respectively.
Rob Marshall directed the 2009 movie adaptation of Nine, which featured a star-studded cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz and Nicole Kidman.
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From L: Penélope Cruz in Nine (2009); Madonna in Evita (1996); Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago (2002)Related: 10 Movie Musicals That Have Won Best Picture
Kiss of the Spider Woman stars Diego Luna as a political prisoner during Argentina's civil war in the 1980s, incarcerated alongside another man portrayed by Tonatiuh. Lopez appears as a character in a musical that one of the two imprisoned recounts to the other during their incarceration.
"I've been waiting for this moment my whole life," Lopez said during a discussion at Sundance following a standing ovation after the screening, when the Q&A moderator suggested she was "made for" Kiss of the Spider Woman.
"When you talk about the importance of musicals, the reason that I even wanted to be in this business was because my mom would sit me in front of the TV ... we'd come on once a year, West Side Story on Thanksgiving," she continued. "I remember I was just mesmerized."
"And I was like, 'That's what I want to do.' And that was always my goal. And this is the first time I actually got to do it. This crowd made my dream come true!" Lopez added.
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Jennifer Lopez during the Kiss of the Spider Woman premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 26, 2025Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the Sundance premiere of Kiss the Spider Woman on Sunday, the actress and singer also touched on the challenge of filming songs in one take.
“We did okay,” Lopez said, adding that director Bill Condon wanted the performances filmed in one shot “like the old musicals authentically were done.”
“And it's pretty amazing when you do see it and you go, ’Oh, that was all one shot right there,’ ” she noted. “And okay now they cut, but it's fascinating, you know, you go, ’Oh I didn't realize that even when I was watching the musicals when I was younger.’ ”
Lopez added, “A little extra challenge, but also exhilarating, right? Like, you gotta get it right. And when you nail it, everybody's like, 'Aah.' "
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