J.Lo celebrates Selena, 23 years after starring in her biopic

Jennifer Lopez has made quite the name for herself over the years, as an actor, singer, dancer, and everything in between. But even J.Lo feels nostalgic sometimes, which she proved when she celebrated the film—and woman—that kickstarted her career 23 years ago. It’s hard to believe it’s already been more than two decades since Lopez played Selena Quintanilla in the epic biopic Selena, yet here we all are.“Join me today in #CelebratingSelena. I can’t believe it’s been 23 years since this incredible movie came out and 25 years since her passing," Lopez wrote on social media alongside a video montage that she posted. “Selena was such an inspiration to me and I was so lucky to be chosen to play her. As an artist, this movie truly was an experience I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. Please share your memories of Selena and the movie with me below.”

 

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Join me today in #CelebratingSelena. ?✨ I can’t believe it’s been 23 years since this incredible movie came out and 25 years since her passing. Selena was such an inspiration to me and I was so lucky to be chosen to play her. As an artist, this movie truly was an experience I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. Please share your memories of Selena and the movie with me below.?❤️ ?: @louispalacios

A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo) on Mar 21, 2020 at 8:03am PDT

In the accompanying three-minute clip Lopez shares snippets of the movie, which spans Quintanilla’s epic rise to fame and her tragic 1995 murder, along with pieces of interviews over the years in which Lopez was asked about the 1997 film. It’s no wonder she’s so passionate about the project to this day—not only was it her first major leading role, it also earned her a Golden Globe nomination (she lost out to Helen Hunt in As Good As It Gets). For those keeping track, Lopez scored her second Golden Globe nomination for Hustlers.“I just go right back to the beginning of the movie and the first day of shooting, and really trying to find the essence of who she was,” Lopez says in the video. “She was an artist and she was singing from the time she was nine years old, maybe younger. Learning how she sang, all her mannerisms and how she danced. Studying the tape of her became really important.”Quintanilla was a Texas-born Tejano singer who shot to international fame—one of the first major female stars to do so in the genre. She was killed in 1995 by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of Selena's fanclub, after it was revealed that Saldivar had been embezzling money. Before that tragic day she gave the world hits like “Dreaming of You,” “Techno Cumbia” and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.” Edward James Olmos, Constance Marie, Jon Seda, and Lupe Ontiveros also starred in the film.“God sent me that role for a reason, so that I could learn from her. So that I could always use her as an inspiration,” Lopez also said. “I’m proud of the whole project in general. Proud that it came out to be such a loving tribute of her... She’s just one of those very special types of artists that her spirit and her joy and her heart really touched people. It still gets me to this day... it really did mark my life at that time. To get to know the family and work with them… it was an important part of my life.”