Jennifer Lopez celebrates the movie that helped her become a superstar.
Selena was released 25 years ago, and the multifaceted artist shares a video on Instagram from appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show promoting the biopic.
She looked very different on the talk show with shorter hair and thinner eyebrows.
“What a very special day…celebrating 25 years of SELENA!” Lopez said in her Instagram 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 fortunate to have been chosen to play her.”
The Way She Was: Jennifer Lopez was seen addressing the 1997 film Selena on Oprah
Such a change: In 1997, Jennifer had thinner eyebrows and a shorter, flirtier haircut. On the right is the February siren with fuller eyebrows and longer hair
She added: “I will never forget this time in my life and it is an honor as an artist to have been part of the magic of this film.”
Selena Quintanilla Pérez was a pioneering Mexican-American artist whose songs shook up the music world.
The Baila Esta Cumbia singer has been dubbed The Queen of Tejano after breaking that musical glass ceiling.
Breakthrough artist: Selena was a breakthrough artist. The Mexican-American singer focused on Tejano music and has struggled to make a name for herself in the male-dominated genre. She was murdered by an obsessed fan in 1995 at the age of 23.
Until Selena came onto the scene, Tejano was a male-dominated genre. Her career took off after the release of her self-titled first album, Selena, and her music continued to top the charts. The late singer received a Grammy Award for Live! 1994
Tragically, the Como la Flor artist was murdered on March 31, 1995 by the head of the Selena fan club, who was obsessed with her. Selena was only 23.
JLo had acted in films and television prior to the March 21, 1997 release of Selena and was relatively unknown at the time, but beat thousands of young women to land the role.
About Oprah: The Let’s Get Loud singer appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show in March 1997 to promote the film
Nerve-wracking: Selena’s family traveled to the film set every day. JLo said at the time it was “nerve-wracking, but having her there and looking after the project was a beautiful thing for me”; Here’s one of Selena’s family members in the Oprah audience
Proud dad: Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, was her manager during her lifetime and works to keep her legacy alive in books, music and films
A family in mourning: Selena is survived by her parents Abraham and Marcella Quintanilla, as well as her brother AB and sister Suzette. The family has worked to keep their music alive. Abraham, AB and Suzette are executive producers of the Netflix series Selena: The Series
In the Oprah clip on Instagram, the singer shares how she prepared for the role by listening to Selena’s music.
“I was working on another film at the time and my trailer had music all day, videos all day just to really understand who she was,” she said.
Selena’s family traveled to the film set every day to oversee production. The late singer’s parents, Abraham and Marcella Quintanilla, and her sister Suzette also appeared in the episode.
“It was tough,” the then 27-year-old actress admitted, “but I knew I had a tough road ahead of me. It was a beautiful thing for me to have her there and take care of the project and I feel enriched to have her involved.’
Breakthrough performance: Looking back on the role that catapulted her career, Jennifer wrote, “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.” Here is Lopez as Selena
Inspiration: Selena earned more than $35 million at the box office. In her Instagram post, the star wrote, “I will never forget this time in my life and it’s an honor as an artist to have been a part of the magic of this film.”
The movie: Jennifer shared the screen with Edward James Olmos, Constance Marie and Jacob Vargas in the biopic about the murdered singer. She became the first Latina actress to earn $1 million for the role
Selena earned more than $35 million at the box office. The late singer’s story was retold in Selena: The Series on Netflix, starring Christian Serratos in the title role.
The Dreaming of You artist was posthumously honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
Since that groundbreaking performance, JLo has broken her own glass ceiling.
She earned $1 million for the role, becoming the first Latina actress to do so. The performance also earned the headliner her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
Since then, the Marry Me star’s career has skyrocketed, with multiple platinum albums and film roles in front of and behind the camera. The 52-year-old actress currently stars in and produces The Godmother, which is based on the life of a Colombian drug lord.
Happy These Days: Lopez with Ben Affleck on the red carpet of the film The Last Duel during the 78th Venice International Film Festival 2021 in Venice, Italy