It’s been 22 years since Jennifer Lopez became Selena
On March 21, it will be 22 years since the U.S. premiere of the movie Selena, a film that continues to be a favorite among her fans and that also completely changed the life of its lead actress, Jennifer Lopez.
The film, which honors the life of Selena Quintanilla, marked a before and after for JLo, whose massive success can be substantially attributed to her starring role as the Queen of Tex-Mex.
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Jennifer Lopez during her Selena Quintanilla years
Even though the actress began her acting, dancing and singing career in 1986, it wasn’t until 1997 that her career really took off. Prior to Selena, JLo worked on several projects, but only received widespread recognition from the film My Family, where she gave life to María.
Selena changed all that. "It marked my life ... It was an important part of my life, it still is. I found my voice in Selena, " JLo said at the time.
A very original Selena
Even though her role as Selena was controversial because, unlike the Tex-Mex icon, Jennifer is not of Mexican descent, when the film premiered, the critics applauded. Clearly, the role was perfect for the singer-actress.
Following the film’s success, the Selena star was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress. However, Helen Hunt took home the statue for her performance in As Good as it Gets.