Jennifer Lopez recalls meeting her idol, Barbra Streisand, for the first timeJennifer Lopez recalls meeting her idol, Barbra Streisand, for the first time
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Ever wonder what it’d be like to meet a living legend like Barbra Streisand? Jennifer Lopez shared with Rolling Stone some of the biggest moments of her life…like meeting the icon for the first time.
The Marry Me star said they met at an Oscars party in the early aughts, with Ben Affleck. “She came up to me and I was like, ‘Oh my God. I’m such a huge fan,'” J-Lo recalled. “And she goes, ‘How do you do it?’… You know, be so famous?’ And I was really puzzled by her questions. I was like, ‘Well, you’re Barbra Streisand!'”
During that conversation, Barbra said something Jennifer’s never forgotten — she suffers from terrible stage fright. “I never thought of her in that way and it really stayed with me,” remarked Lopez. “She was everything I thought she would be.”
Jennifer also shared another profound life moment: landing her first movie role in 1995’s My Family. “They made me come in five times because I wasn’t Mexican and they really wanted Mexican actors, and I was Puerto Rican from New York,” she recalled. Jennifer remembers director Gregory Nava telling her when she landed the part, “I really wanted to go with a Latina, but you know, you always have to go with the talent.”
“I think I’m an underdog… I always felt like I wasn’t the one that was supposed to be in the room,” Jennifer admitted. “That’s part of being Puerto Rican and from the Bronx and a woman. You know what I mean? All of that stuff. Not being born into a family with money. Not knowing anybody in the business. I just went out there and said, ‘F***it. I’m going to just try. I’m going to try to get in here.'”
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