Jennifer Lopez wearing Chanel (Styling by Edward Enninful)
Jennifer Lopez fronts the cover of W’s May issue looking, in a word, flawless. Below the image, an apropos cover line: “The Staying Power of Jennifer Lopez.” From Selena to “Jenny from the Block” to American Idol (and from P. Diddy to Casper Smart), J.Lo is still in the game. In an interview with Lynn Hirschberg, she opens up about her career and romances, and in a bonus video, gives us her personal rendition of Sir Mix A Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” because she’s J.Lo.
On staying relevant…
“I’ve been in the grind and the game for a long time,” she told the glossy. “At a certain point, people respect you when they see you fall down and get back up. The more you’re in this life, the more they celebrate your triumphs.”
On her career and personal life…
“When it comes to work, I never get tired. But with personal failures, I have thought, This is too hard. When my marriage ended, it was not easy to find forgiveness. It wasn’t the dream that I had hoped for, and it would have been easier to fan the flames of resentment, disappointment, and anger. But Marc is the father of my children, and that’s never going away. So, I have to work to make things right. And that is, by far, the hardest work I do.”
On Casper Smart..
“We got together and broke up and are now together again. I still think about getting married and having that long life with someone. I love the movie The Notebook. A dream of mine is to grow old with someone.”
On her work ethic…
“I do have trouble saying no. It’s hard for me not to imagine doing everything I am asked to do. Even if I hear a song that someone else has done or watch a film that someone else is in, I think, Oh, I would do it like this. Or, I wish I could do it like that. Luckily, I love to work.”
On her relationship with the public…
“People may now think I’m ‘nice,’ but they still act surprised when I’m smart. It’s a man’s world, and truly, people in a business setting do not value a woman as much as a man. I feel like I’m constantly having to prove myself. If a man does one thing well, people immediately say he’s a genius. Women have to do something remarkable over and over and over.”
“People underestimate me. They always have, and maybe that’s for the best. It’s fun to prove them wrong.”
On handling the crowds…
“It’s been like that since Selena. I never thought about fame until then. After that film, I would have panic attacks. I remember walking down the street, and someone yelled, ‘Jennifer!’ and I didn’t know who it was. I ran home. From that point forward, I realized I couldn’t be alone in public. I don’t think I’ve been alone on the street in over 20 years.”
Get the full story HERE.
Photography by Inez & Vinoodh
