Jennifer Lopez talks about fighting Latina stereotypes in Hollywood

Jennifer Lopez Opens up about fighting Latina stereotypes during the early days of her career.

“There are so many different people living their stories (in America),” Lopez, 55, said during the Thursday, Nov. 28, episode of “Diverse Persian Circle” podcast. “That was always my goal as an actor, as a producer, was to break the mold of just playing the Latina, playing just the maid or just the housekeeper or just the person who worked in the store. Whatever it was, kind of stereotyped, and break the stereotypes. But Also to be the people who star in the movie.”

Lopez claimed that “there weren’t a lot of roles for Latinas” when she started out. “I auditioned for parts with accents and stereotypes. I kept thinking, ‘Why can’t I just play a romantic lead? Why can’t I be the girl next door?'” she continued, according to diverse. “It was this belief—this belief that I belonged—that helped me break those patterns.”

Lopez, who grew up in the Bronx with Puerto Rican parents, recalled struggling to fit in and not feeling like she belonged in certain situations.

related: Jennifer Lopez Talks Motherhood and Navigating ‘Challenging Relationships’

Jennifer Lopez has opened up about navigating “challenging relationships” as a mother amid her ongoing divorce from estranged husband Ben Affleck. Lopez, 55, attended a London screening of her new film Unstoppable on Tuesday, Nov. 5, as reported by Hello! Magazine, which is set to hit theaters on December 6th. During a Q&A after the screening, (…)

“When you come really not much and you grow up in the neighborhoods we grew up in, you think you don’t belong in certain places or you don’t belong in certain rooms,” she said. “I always find it’s the inner voice. It’s kind of being in tune with that inner voice and what you’re telling yourself, and that’s the most important thing. And sometimes it can be your mom and dad’s voice in your head, and then at some point it’s your responsibility to replace that voice with the strong voice Yours. It says, ‘I do belong here. I do the right things.’

“And it’s hard because you have a lot of people telling you that you’re not all the time, especially if you choose a career like this, where a lot of it is subjective,” she continued.

of Lopez The last movie, UnstoppableDescribes the journey of a one-legged wrestler Anthony Robleswho won the state championship in 2011. on The autobiographical documentaryLopez plays Robles’ mother, Judy.

“I really identified with her. I really understood her, where she was coming from,” Lopez told the outlet. “With all the struggles she went through, I understood the upbringing they went through. I understood, like I said, challenging relationships. Wanting to make things work, have kids. Trying to be the best mom you can be, be a great mom. She’s a great mom. Still finding her way For herself in the rest of her life, right? Because she was forced to be an adult too early.”