Jennifer Lopez's “Kiss of the Spider Woman” Receives Standing Ovation: 'I've Been Waiting for This Moment My Whole Life'

Jennifer Lopez just marked a personal career achievement.

Lopez, 55, premiered her new movie musical Kiss of the Spider Woman at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 26, where the actress grew visibly emotional as the film received a standing ovation.

"I've been waiting for this moment my whole life," Lopez said during a post-screening discussion, when the Q&A moderator suggested she was "made for this movie."

"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. 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!"

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. The movie is a reimagining of John Kander, Fred Ebb and Terrence McNally's stage adaptation of Argentine writer Manuel Puig's 1976 novel; its Broadway adaptation won a Tony Award for best musical in 1993. 

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"I think of Chita Rivera, I think of Fred Ebb. I think of Terrence McNally and all of the love that they poured into this," Lopez added during the Q&A. "And it is just an honor to be able to be part of this movie. And I thank you guys so much for this moment. Thank you."

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Lopez appears in Kiss of the Spider Woman as a character in a musical that one of the two imprisoned recounts to the other during their incarceration, as an official festival synopsis reads. "Jennifer Lopez is an astonishing scene-stealer in a career-highlight performance as Luna/Aurora, with showstopping musical numbers that underscore the exuberant prowess of her dancing and voice," the synopsis adds.

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"I think the thing about the movie that I love the most is that it tells the importance of storytelling and how it can help you get through the day and how it helps all of us," Lopez shared elsewhere during the Q&A, when asked how she feels about the "timeless" quality of the film. "Films help all of us kind of get through the hardest times in our lives, just like music. That's why musicals, movies are so important. And the importance of love. The importance of love, and just seeing each other as human beings and how love can kind of shorten the gap of any divide between people."

Kiss of the Spider Woman does not yet have a release date. Lopez, as well as Ben Affleck and Matt Damon through their company Artists Equity, are among the movie's producers.

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