Jennifer Lopez became emotional after the premiere of her latest project, Kiss of the Spider Woman, received a standing ovation at Sundance Film Festival on Sunday (26 January).
The Hustlers actor, 55, stars alongside Diego Luna and Tonatiuh in Bill Condon’s latest movie musical, which is based on the 1993 Broadway show by Cabaret and Chicago creatives John Kander and Fred Ebb.
Lopez, who was widely mocked for self-financing her own musical film last year, told attendees at the Park City’s Eccles Theatre that starring in Kiss of the Spider Woman had fulfilled one of her life-long dreams.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life,” the Maid in Manhattan star said, per Variety.
“The reason I even wanted to be in this business is because my mom would sit me in front of the TV and [West Side Story] would come on once a year.”
She continued: “I was mesmerised and was like ‘That’s what I want to do.’ This is the first time I actually got to do it. This man [Condon] made my dream come true.”
Condon, whose filmography includes Chicago and Dreamgirls last premiered a film (Gods and Monsters, starring Ian McKellen and Brendan Fraser) at Sundance in 1998.
Kiss of a Spider Woman is mostly set in an Argentinian prison during the ‘Dirty War’ and follows a queer window dresser Luis Molina (Tonatiuh) who is serving time for having sex with a man.
To pass his time behind bars, Luis tells his cellmate Valentine Arregui (Diego Luna) stories about his favourite movie star, Ingrid Luna (Lopez).
Condon’s Kiss of the Spider Woman is the second screen adaptation of Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel, following director Héctor Babenco’s 1985 adaptation, which earned an Oscar for William Hurt’s performance as Luis.
Meanwhile, John Kander, Fred Ebb and Terrence McNally’s 1993 Broadway musical earned seven Tony Awards, including best musical and best performances by Brent Carver, Anthony Crivelllo and Chita Rivera.
The official Sundance synopsis of Condon’s adaptation describes the film as a “textually rich historical and political drama with the flashy technicolour extravagance of an old Hollywood musical”.
It continues: “Lopez is an astonishing scene-stealer in a career-highlight performance as Luna/Aurora, with showstopping musical numbers that underscore the exuberant prowess of her dancing and voice.”
