Hindustan Times (Patna) - Hindustan Times (Patna) - Live
JLO STRUGGLED WITH SELFDOUBT, BUT KEPT GOING
It might seem hard to believe it for a such a massively popular, multifaceted star as herself, but actor and singer Jennifer Lopez actually struggled with self-doubt as she was starting out.
The Ain’t Your Mama singer opened up about it during the New York City screening of her upcoming film Second Act, which follows the life of a 40-year-old woman who gets a chance to realise her unfulfilled dreams when she lands a job at an elite company. Through this transition, she slowly learns to believe in herself and gain the lost confidence.
Speaking about her own struggles, Lopez said, “I don’t let the opinion of others really influence how I think about myself. And that took a long time. Because in the early part of my career, I did, and it made me feel really bad about myself,” People magazine quoted Lopez as saying.
Even after beginning her acting career with the successful film Selena (1997) and scoring a massive musical hit in the form of her debut album On the 6, Lopez recalled receiving some heartbreaking criticism that made her doubt herself and her work.
“I’m killing it, and then everybody’s like, ‘She can’t sing, she can’t dance, she can’t act, she’s just some pretty face or her butt is big’ or whatever they were saying about me and I started thinking, ‘Yeah, that’s true’,” she recalled. “And it really hurt me for a long time,” the Love Don’t Cost a Thing singer said.
However, the Maid in Manhattan (2002) actor just kept going. “I couldn’t allow myself to let that become who I was. I was like, ‘No, I’m gonna make another record, I’m gonna make another song, I’m gonna make another movie. I’m a great actress, I’m a great singer, a great dancer, I’m great at this stuff! And I’m gonna keep going!’ And I did. And that’s all I did. I just kept going,” she said.
DESPITE SUCCESSFUL FORAYS INTO FILM AND MUSIC, LOPEZ RECALLS HAVING TO CONTEND WITH HARSH CRITICISM OFTEN DEMEANING HER TALENT