Jennifer Lopez in Dubai on Feb. 10, 2024.Photo:Darren Gerrish/Getty

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez poses on the red carpet at the One&Only One Za’abeel Grand Opening at Aelia on February 10, 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Darren Gerrish/Getty

As soon asSelenacame out,Jennifer Lopezwasn’t just “Jenny From the Block” anymore.

Lopez opened up about the moment that put into perspective just how famous she was becoming while reflecting on the 1997 filmSelenain a video interview.  “That was when I kind of became famous,” the singer/actress said of the hit biopic about Tejano starSelena Quintanilla. “I had been doing television and actually had done a few movies already, but withSelena, there was a new level of fame.”

Jennifer Lopez in ‘Selena’.Q PRODUCTIONS INC/ Everett

SELENA, Jennifer Lopez, 1997

She continued, “I remember walking down the street and somebody calling my name and thinking it was somebody who knew me. And I turned around and didn’t know them.”

In the clip, the Grammy-nominated artist then reenacted how excited the fan was to come up to her and how confused she must have looked. “I got so freaked out,” Lopez explained.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m not anonymous anymore. I can’t just walk down the street. Like, if somebody calls me, it’s not somebody I know, it’s somebody I don’t know,’” she said while laughing.

After dancing as a Fly Girl onIn Living Colorand a handful of smaller roles, Lopez was propelled to fame with the titular role inSelena. Not only did she become the first Latina actress to earn $1 million for the role, the breakout performance garnered universal praise and a Golden Globe nomination.

Jennifer Lopez in ‘Selena’.Everett

SELENA, Jennifer Lopez, 1997

Everett

Over the years, theHustlersstar has spoken candidly about how much the film and its star-making turn meant to her.

“What a very special day,” the “On the Floor” singer wrote in the caption. “Today we celebrate and honor Selena’s legacy and music.”

“This movie means so much to me … Selena and her family mean so much to me, and I was so lucky to be chosen to play her,” she continued. “I’ll never forget this time in my life and it’s an honor as an artist to have been part of the magic that is this movie.”

Jennifer Lopez in New York City in September 2023.Paul Morigi/Getty

Jennifer Lopez attends the Ralph Lauren fashion show during New York Fashion Week on September 08, 2023 in New York City.

Paul Morigi/Getty

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The hitmaker is gearing up to release her highly anticipated ninth studio albumThis Is Me… Now, due out Friday. The project comes 10 years after her last LP,A.K.A.,and serves as a sequel toThis Is Me… Then, her hit 2002 album about her andBen Affleck’s relationship at the time.

Lopez alsocollaborated with her now-husband Affleck, 51, on a film that coincides with the record,This Is Me… Now: A Love Story. The movie, which will hit streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, is said to be a musical and visual reimagining of the life events that inspired her new music.

source: people.com