Editing Jennifer Lopez (section)

===1997–1999: Breakthrough with ''Selena'' and ''On the 6''===
With her casting as the singer [[Selena|Selena Quintanilla-Pérez]] in the biopic ''[[Selena (film)|Selena]]'' (1997), Lopez became the first Latina actress to earn $1 million. She described her salary for the film as a "statement to the world",<ref name=NominatedOscarSelena>{{cite news |last1=Setoodeh |first1=Ramin |title=Why Wasn't Jennifer Lopez Nominated for an Oscar for 'Selena'? |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/jennifer-lopez-interview-selena-1203313803/ |access-date=September 22, 2021 |work=Variety |date=August 26, 2019 |archive-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016012222/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/jennifer-lopez-interview-selena-1203313803/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but expressed disappointment that other Latina actors were not being afforded the same opportunities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/medium-news-footage/560673133|title=Medium|website=Getty Images|date=June 19, 2015|access-date=April 28, 2022|archive-date=October 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001195355/https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/medium-news-footage/560673133|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite having previously worked with the film's director Gregory Nava on ''Mi Familia'', Lopez participated in an intense auditioning process and spent time with the late singer's family in [[Corpus Christi, Texas]] before filming began.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Lopez gets Selena role|newspaper=Dallas Morning News |date=June 14, 1996}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Cobo |first=Leila |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/jennifer-lopez-selena-film-anniversary-interview-7728858/ |title=Jennifer Lopez on Playing Selena: 'She Had a Sense of Living in the Present & Following Her Heart' |magazine=Billboard |date=March 21, 2017 |access-date=December 26, 2021 |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226181704/https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/jennifer-lopez-selena-film-anniversary-interview-7728858/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Selena'' was a box office hit, and Lopez's performance received critical acclaim.<ref>{{harvnb|Marquez|2001|p=56}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Parish|2009|pp=57–58}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' described it as "a star-making performance" and wrote: "She has the star presence to look convincing in front of 100,000 fans."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |title=Selena movie review & film summary (1997) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/selena-1997 |access-date=September 26, 2021 |work=[[RogerEbert.com]] |archive-date=October 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012013852/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/selena-1997 |url-status=live }}</ref> Lopez received her first [[55th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe]] nomination for the performance. Nava asked the heads of Warner Bros. to fund an Academy Award campaign for Lopez but was told the Academy would "never nominate a Latina."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/why-jennifer-lopez-oscar-campaign-selena-never-got-off-the-ground-184500166.html|title=Why J.Lo's Oscar campaign for 'Selena' never got off the ground|work=Yahoo Entertainment|first=Gisselle|last=Bances|date=May 19, 2020|access-date=June 8, 2022|archive-date=June 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608163806/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/why-jennifer-lopez-oscar-campaign-selena-never-got-off-the-ground-184500166.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Later in 1997, Lopez starred opposite [[Ice Cube]] in the horror film ''[[Anaconda (1997 film)|Anaconda]]'', which received negative reviews from critics but was a box office success.<ref>{{harvnb|Parish|2009|p=49}}</ref> [[Joe Leydon]] of ''Variety'' found the film "silly" but said it deserved "a little credit" for being "the first movie of its kind to have a Latina and an African-American" as its stars.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Leydon |first=Joe |url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/anaconda-1117341403/ |title=Anaconda |magazine=Variety |date=April 20, 1997 |access-date=October 1, 2021}}</ref> In the crime film ''[[U Turn (1997 film)|U Turn]]'' (1997),<ref>{{harvnb|Parish|2009|p=61}}</ref> Lopez appeared topless in a sex scene that was added by director [[Oliver Stone]] during filming. Speaking in 2003, Lopez said it was not something "I would have chosen to do" and that she and Stone fought over it: "It's hard being the only woman on a set."<ref name="actorsstudio" />

Lopez starred opposite [[George Clooney]] in the crime caper ''[[Out of Sight]]'' (1998), [[Steven Soderbergh]]'s adaptation of the [[Elmore Leonard]] [[Out of Sight (novel)|1996 novel]].<ref>{{harvnb|Woog|2020|p=42}}</ref> Cast as a deputy federal marshal who falls for a charming criminal, she won rave reviews for her performance.<ref name="Parish65">{{harvnb|Parish|2009|pp=65–66}}</ref><ref name="Kyle" /> [[Janet Maslin]] of ''The New York Times'' described it as her "best movie role thus far, and she brings it both seductiveness and grit; if it was hard to imagine a hard-working, pistol-packing bombshell on the page, it couldn't be easier here."<ref>{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/062698sight-film-review.html |title='Out of Sight': A Thief, a Marshal, an Item |date=June 26, 1998 |work=The New York Times |access-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012094004/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/062698sight-film-review.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Turan of the ''Los Angeles Times'' described Lopez as "an actress who can be convincingly tough and devastatingly erotic" and said the film solidified "her position as a woman you can confidently build a film around."<ref>{{cite news |last=Morales |first=Ed |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-30-ca-42339-story.html |title=It's Not La Vida Loca to Her |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 30, 1999 |access-date=August 8, 2022 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=February 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217220447/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-30-ca-42339-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021, Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' named Lopez and Clooney's partnership as one of the best examples of on-screen chemistry in cinema history.<ref>{{cite news |title=From Brangelina to Bogart and Bacall: the best on-screen chemistry |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/aug/06/from-brangelina-to-bogart-and-bacall-the-best-on-screen-chemistry |access-date=September 26, 2021 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=August 6, 2021}}</ref> Also in 1998, Lopez provided the voice of Azteca in the animated film ''[[Antz]]'',<ref name="Parish65" /> and ventured into product endorsement, becoming a national spokesperson for [[Coca-Cola]] and [[L'Oréal]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kleinhans |first1=Chuck |author1-link=Chuck Kleinhans |title=Selena ¡Siempre Selena! |journal=[[Jump Cut (journal)|Jump Cut]] |date=December 1998 |issue=42 |pages=28–31 |url=https://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC42folder/Selena.html |access-date=February 27, 2024 |archive-date=May 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513012310/http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC42folder/Selena.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Susman |first1=Gary |title=Ben Affleck follows J. Lo to L'Oreal |url=https://ew.com/article/2003/05/28/ben-affleck-follows-j-lo-loreal/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=February 28, 2024 |date=May 28, 2003 |archive-date=February 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229012759/https://ew.com/article/2003/05/28/ben-affleck-follows-j-lo-loreal/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Lopez decided to pursue a music career after working on ''Selena'', realizing that she had missed "the excitement of the stage".<ref name="LA Times 99">{{cite news|last=Morales|first=Ed|title=It's Not La Vida Loca to Her|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-30-ca-42339-story.html|access-date=March 11, 2012|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=March 30, 1999|archive-date=February 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217220447/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-30-ca-42339-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Her new manager [[Benny Medina]] sought to position her as "a brand name that will cross over into all media."<ref name="LA Times 99"/> Lopez, who was "really feeling [her] Latin roots",<ref>{{harvnb|Mendible|2007|p=150}}</ref> recorded a Spanish-language demo for circulation among prospective labels. With Lopez being a high-profile personality, a bidding war ensued.<ref name="Bruns 299">{{harvnb|Bruns|2008|p=299}}</ref> [[Tommy Mottola]], the head of [[Sony Music]]'s [[Work Group]], signed her but suggested that she sing in English instead.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TxIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA27 | page=27 | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | volume=119 | issn=0006-2510 | number=5 | title=On the Down Lo | date=February 3, 2007 | access-date=July 1, 2012 | archive-date=September 14, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914071216/https://books.google.com/books?id=TxIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA27 | url-status=live }}</ref> Her record deal with Sony was described as "lucrative", having outbid other offers from [[Capitol Records]] and [[EMI Latin]].<ref>{{harvnb|Ovalle|2011|p=138}}</ref> While Lopez worked on her debut album, Sony "began a major push" to feature her with other high-profile entertainers, leading her to appear in the [[Sean Combs]] music video "[[Been Around the World]]" (1997).<ref name="Bruns 299" />

Her debut album, ''[[On the 6]]'' (1999), named after the [[6 (New York City Subway service)|6 Subway line]] which connected her childhood home in the Bronx to Manhattan,<ref>{{cite news|title=Puff Daddy out on bail|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/579912.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=July 3, 2012|date=December 28, 1999|archive-date=April 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424000819/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/579912.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> was met with positive reviews and further propelled her public profile.<ref name="Parish2">{{harvnb|Parish|2009|p=2}}</ref><ref name="Recording-Academy">{{cite web |title=Jennifer Lopez's Biggest Hits, From Her Best Hip-Hop Collaborations To The Dance Floor Classics |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/jennifer-lopez-songs-jlo-biggest-hits-this-is-me-now-album |publisher=[[The Recording Academy]] |access-date=February 13, 2024 |date=September 27, 2023 |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213080123/https://www.grammy.com/news/jennifer-lopez-songs-jlo-biggest-hits-this-is-me-now-album |url-status=live }}</ref> The album was a success and Lopez's debut single, "[[If You Had My Love]]", topped the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for five consecutive weeks,<ref name="Recording-Academy" /> with another single, "[[Waiting for Tonight]]", reaching number eight and becoming a celebratory anthem for the new millennium.<ref name="Shemesh" /> Other singles from the album included "[[Let's Get Loud]]", which became one of Lopez's signature songs, and "[[No Me Ames]]", a duet with future husband [[Marc Anthony]].<ref name="Recording-Academy" /> In July 1999, she performed "If You Had My Love" and "Let's Get Loud" at the [[1999 FIFA Women's World Cup]] closing ceremony. It was watched by over one billion viewers worldwide, exposing Lopez's music career to a larger international audience.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Jennifer Lopez |series=TV Moments |network=[[VH1]] |date=May 2002}}</ref>