Jennifer Lopez's high-profile romances, past and present, have long been the subject of headlines and tabloids. Now they are movie material.
The “Hustlers” singer and actress, accompanied by her husband Ben Affleck, premiered her spectacular musical, “This Is Me…Now: A Love Story,” at the Dolby Theater on Tuesday. Lopez arrived on the red carpet just hours after revealing in a recent interview what her latest creative saga entailed: $20 million, encouragement from Affleck and initial skepticism from her fans.
“Everyone thought I was crazy,” she said in a Variety cover story published Tuesday. “And by the way, I thought she was crazy.”
Prime Video, which will begin streaming Lopez's film on Friday, describes “This Is Me…Now: A Love Story” as a “narrative-driven cinematic odyssey, infused with mythological storytelling and personal healing.” The 65-minute abstract film stars Lopez, 54, as a hopeless romantic and charts her journey to find the love worth singing about, literally. The musical accompanies her upcoming album “The Is Me…Now,” which is also out Friday.
“This Is Me…Now: A Love Story” features a star-studded cast including Trevor Noah, Kim Petras, Sofia Vergara, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Affleck (of course). Jane Fonda, Lopez's co-star in “Monster-in-Law,” also makes an appearance, but arrived with some initial skepticism.
Fonda said she was on board with Lopez's project and felt committed to her rekindled relationship with Affleck, 51, but expressed concern when the “Argo” director went viral for looking seemingly “miserable” at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
“I got really scared, you know, with all that shit about the Grammys and he looks unhappy and I'm like, 'Oh my God, what's going on?'” Fonda says in the documentary that accompanies the film. Lopez assured the Hollywood icon and activist that the meme was not an indication of any romantic tension, according to Variety.
The “Jenny From the Block” singer also heard skepticism from her producing partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, who reportedly feared the musical was “too personal” for audiences. She told the magazine that the singer “never convinced me.”
Lopez also failed to attract real estate TV star Khloé Kardashian, who declined to appear in the project.
Even if “This Is Me…Now” is inspired by the vulnerable love letters Affleck wrote to his wife (they married in Las Vegas in 2022), he was on her side. Affleck saw the final cut last year.
“He said, 'You made a movie. For you. You made a great movie. You did it,'” Lopez told Variety. “Honestly, I don't care what happens now. “That’s the biggest kind of compliment I could get.”
Between a new album, a musical film and a documentary that follows the making of that film, López invested $20 million in the latest chapter of his career. For the multi-hyphenate, expressing her love, heartbreak, and growth is priceless. She, too, doesn't seem too worried about what others might think.
“I think when you put out any project, you get to a point in your life where you don't make it so that every person in the world has the best opinion of it,” he told Variety.
López added: “I think this is a beautiful project. The message is strong and the message is true. “I think it is a true work of art and I am very proud of it.”
“This Is Me…Now: A Love Story” is written by Lopez and Matt Walton and directed by Dave Meyers.
