Jennifer Lopez Says She Considered Stripping During Her Years as a Struggling Dancer

Jennifer Lopez got a lot of praise last year for her role in the hit crime-drama Hustlers, a film in which she portrayed stripper/scammer Ramona Vega. While discussing the project with W magazine, Lopez revealed there was a time in her life when she considered becoming a stripper to pay the bills. (This was obviously way before her career took off.)

"There was a moment in my life when my friends, who were also dancers, told me about making thousands of dollars at clubs in New Jersey," she told the magazine. "They said, ‘You won’t need to be topless.' It sounded awfully good when I was broke and eating pizza every day, but I never did it."

Hustlers, directed by Lorene Scafaria, earned Lopez a 2020 Golden Globes nomination for Best Supporting Actress—marking the second Golden Globes nomination of her career following a Best Actress nod for 1997's Selena. Lopez told W she was a little nervous about portraying Ramona, as she was unlike any other character she had played before.

"I had never played someone this dark or complicated," she said. "I liked that Ramona, the character I play, and the other strippers were looked at as equals to their patrons, the guys on Wall Street. Ramona reminded me of that girlfriend we all have who is exciting but can also get you into trouble. You always miss that friend when she’s gone, but when you get together, you worry you might find yourself in some crazy situation. That’s Ramona."

You can read Lopez's full W interview here. The 2020 Golden Globes will air live Sunday on NBC.