Houston dancer connects with JLo in new film
“This Is Me … Now,” the meta musical film from Jennifer Lopez, is subtitled “A Love Story.” But much of it showcases the dark side of love.
The most forceful scene features Lopez entwined, literally, with a dancer meant to represent her partner during the song “Rebound.” They start off lovey-dovey but quickly devolve into a heated argument. He punches a wall in frustration, just missing her face, when Lopez brings up their astrological compatibility.
“Why do you always make me do this?” he growls.
Houston native Gilbert Saldivar is Lopez’s partner in that arresting scene. “This Is Me … Now: A Love Story” is streaming on Prime Video. The accompanying album is on digital platforms. A documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” arrives Feb. 27.
Saldivar, who grew up in the East End, has a long history with Lopez. He moved to Los Angeles in 2001 and, less than six months later, landed a spot in Lopez’s “Ain’t It Funny” music video and her Puerto Rico concert special. He has performed for decades alongside Christina Aguilera and was onstage at Super Bowl halftime shows for Madonna, Janet Jackson and Katy Perry.
When Saldivar went in to audition for “This Is Me … Now,” he hadn’t worked with Lopez in seven years. But their connection quickly resurfaced.
“I think with Jennifer, because she has a dancer foundation, we speak the same language. I move the way that she moves, and I’m there for her,” Saldivar says. He’s currently in rehearsals for Premios lo Nuestro, a Latin music award show airing this month on Univision. He’ll dance alongside several acts, including Gloria Trevi and Anitta.
Lopez and Saldivar’s scene comes near the beginning of the film. It’s the story of an abusive relationship told through acting and dance. They are connected by a bungee cord and move through a glass house that starts to crack. (How’s that for a metaphor?) Lopez eventually cuts the cord and escapes Saldivar’s clutches.
“It got real-real, real quick. But she was extremely helpful, and she guided me through it,” Saldivar says. “Every time that bungee pulls, I have to catch her. That’s how I think our careers have paralleled each other. I’m there for her, and I think she feels safe with me. We know we’re gonna make it to the goal, whether it be a music video, whether it be a live performance. We know we’re safe with each other onstage or on screen.”
Along with Lopez, Saldivar got help from director Dave Meyers and Aaron Speiser, Lopez’s longtime acting coach, to create a fully realized character in the most effective, safest way possible.
“It’s obvious that we are speaking of Jennifer’s story. But I’ve been around domestic violence. I’m a brother to a lot of women. I’ve been around a lot of female artists. I grew up around a lot of tías. I have sisters and friends,” Saldivar says. “One of the things that I learned in taking acting classes is that, yes, you can pull from experiences, but you have to color up that character with his own experiences. I had to give him his own identity so that I wouldn’t open up Pandora’s box within myself.”
“This Is Me … Now” is as confessional as it is cuckoo. In the most wonderful way. Lopez skewers her love life through a variety of lavish scenes: a factory-set “Hearts and Flowers” that echoes Madonna’s “Express Yourself” video; a wedding scene that rivals her greatest rom-coms; a “Singing in the Rain”-inspired finale. It’s a towering achievement that reasserts her superstar glow.
Saldivar is using Lopez’s career blueprint to make his own way. He’s had acting roles in the films “Stomp the Yard” and “Chocolate City: Vegas,” the Hulu series “East Los High” and cable shows “Dexter” and “The Closer.” As a kid, Saldivar trained as a ballet folklórico dancer. He attended Deady Middle School, Milby High School and spent two years at the University of Houston. Before leaving home, he also danced for the Rockets and Comets.
“I’ve gotten a chance to test the waters with different projects. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel like I’m a quick study, and I feel like I’m around people who feed me a lot of information and a lot of their knowledge,” Saldivar says.
He’ll next rejoin Aguilera for some concert dates and is working on a ballet folklórico moviemusical that he describes as “‘Coco’ meets ‘West Side Story.’ ” Saldivar is also producing a documentary about Tejano singer Jennifer Peña and her long-awaited return to music. She’s currently touring behind “Casate Conimgo,” a single with the group Siggno and, with the right push, could enjoy a huge comeback.
Despite the nonstop schedule, Saldivar makes sure he returns home frequently. He plans to spend even more time in Houston working toward opening an East End space with his sister that encourages youth to pursue creative endeavors.
“I want to have my own space in which I can bring dancing, acting, even set designing. Anything that creative youth would like to learn. And I want to provide it there in our neighborhood,” he says. “I think we’re in this rotation of sending our young Mexican men and women into traditional jobs. All of our creative youth kind of just gets lost in the sauce or they have to leave home to go get it. I want to create a community of creatives from where I come from.”