Jennifer Lopez Thinks This Role Should Have Been Gotten An Oscar

Critics expected Jennifer Lopez to get at least an Academy Award nomination for this role, and so did the superstar.

By Douglas Helm | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez recently released her new documentary Halftime on Netflix, and it gave us plenty of insight into one of Lopez’s most exciting and dynamic years of her career. The documentary is centered around the Superbowl halftime show she performed with Shakira, but it also marks the “halftime” for Lopez’s life and career, as the documentary kicks off with Lopez’s 50th birthday. The documentary is filled with interesting revelations and commentary from Lopez, including the release of her critically acclaimed film Hustlers.

In the documentary, there is a section that follows the Oscar buzz around Hustlers and the possible nominations the Jennifer Lopez-starring film would get. J. Lo even says that she dreamed about getting a nomination the night before the official nominations were announced. Unfortunately, the movie was snubbed by the Academy, receiving no nominations. Lopez ended up taking the snub relatively well, talking about how she didn’t do the movies for the awards, but to tell the stories. Lopez did, however, receive a Golden Globes nom for Best Supporting Actress, which she lost to Laura Dern. Lopez mentioned that she was mostly disappointed in losing that award because her team believed in her and wanted her to win.

The Hustlers Oscar campaign is far from the only event that Jennifer Lopez touches on in Halftime. As mentioned, the lead-up to the Superbowl show is covered in-depth, with Lopez working on the show, creating choreography, and trying to put together a show that would simultaneously encompass her career while making a statement. One statement was the kids in cages who represented the children being held in ICE custody at the border. In the documentary, we learn that the NFL tried to cut that part, but Lopez fought to keep it in. We also learn that Lopez tried to get Bruce Springsteen to play “Born in the USA” as a guest star, though the singer opted out. Lopez’s daughter, Emme, performed the song instead.

One of Jennifer Lopez’s biggest qualms with the Super Bowl halftime show was the lack of time she was given in addition to the NFL forcing Shakira and Lopez to co-headline. She had assumed that there would be a headliner and a guest for the show, and that “It was an insult to say you needed two Latinas to do the job that one artist historically has done.” Lopez definitely has a point here. She also made the point that the artists should have been given 20 minutes for the show if they were sharing top billing.

Fans of Jennifer Lopez will definitely want to check out Halftime if they want to get more insight into the star’s life and career. In addition to all of the above scenes, she also touches on how her life has been followed and inaccurately represented by the tabloids and media. The documentary truly encompasses every part of Lopez’s life and gives us behind-the-scenes looks into one of the best Super Bowl halftime shows in recent memory. You can check out the documentary for yourself on Netflix.