Jennifer Lopez teared up after her film, Kiss of the Spider Woman, received a standing ovation at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Sunday, DailyMail reports.
According to the report by DailyMail, Jennifer Lopez got emotional and revealed to the Eccles Theatre audience, where the film had its premiere, that starring in the musical was a lifelong dream come true.
‘I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life,’ the star said, as 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. I was mesmerized and was like, “That’s what I want to do.” This is the first time I actually got to do it.’
‘This man made my dream come true,’ she said in reference to director Bill Condon.
For Condon, a renowned director of musicals (‘Chicago,’ ‘Dreamgirls’), the Sundance premiere marks his first return to the festival since 1998’s Gods and Monsters.
He shared at the event: ‘I came here 27 years ago. The experience of launching that movie here is something I’ll never forget.’
He added that Kiss of the Spider Woman ‘is a movie I started thinking about all those years ago. It’s a movie I’ve wanted to make my entire life.’
Jennifer Lopez wowed on the red carpet, wearing a bedazzled see-through Valdrin Sahiti gown, featuring Hassanzadeh jewelry in the shape of a spider web.
The black lace long-sleeve design clung to her enviable figure. The star added height to her look with black platform heels.
The Love Don’t Cost a Thing hitmaker, who plays screen star Ingrid Luna in the film, accessorized with a black clutch.
Her ex-husband Ben Affleck, 52 — with whom she recently settled her divorce — is one of the eight credited executive producers on Kiss of the Spider Woman along with his buddy Matt Damon, Diego Luna, and Jennifer Lopez herself.
The movie musical — about two Argentinian prisoners (Luna as Valentin Arregui and Tonatiuh as Luis Molina) forming a bond over the plot of a Hollywood musical starring a silver screen diva — does not yet have a distributor or release date.
Lopez’s caramel-toned tresses were styled into a voluminous updo. Her makeup was classic Hollywood glam, with bold eyes, fluttery lashes, and a simple nude lip.
Before making a splash on the red carpet, Lopez took to Instagram to show off her outfit, which she paired with a warm white fur coat.
The film is adapted from the stage musical, also titled Kiss of the Spider Woman, which itself is based on the 1976 novel by Manuel Puig.
The official Sundance synopsis for the film describes it as ‘a textually rich historical and political drama with the flashy technicolor extravagance of an old Hollywood musical.’
‘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.’
Earlier in the day during the Los Angeles Times panel, Lopez revealed she prepared for months to play Ingrid in the film.
‘I would’ve liked to have had a whole year to do a big musical like this, but we didn’t have that — this independent film, and so everything was crunched. We didn’t have much time,’ she said.
‘It was challenging. It really was. For me, I was a dancer. But for Diego and Tona [Tonatiuh], it was very challenging, but we did it and we pulled it through.’
The mother-of-two also spoke about her passion for the project, saying she felt born to play this role.
‘I never felt in my life that I was born to play a part ever. And I really felt that with this,’ she shared, as per People.
‘Love is just love and people are just people. And for me, that resonated very deeply because of my own life and my own children. And so I really took to it so immediately and was so excited.’
Meanwhile, her co-star Tonatiuh described the joy of working with Jennifer Lopez.
‘It was watching a mastery of work to see you before every single time. There were even times where I wasn’t even in the number and I would show up to set just to be like, oh my gosh, she’s doing good again. This is incredible.’
‘And mind you, we literally were shooting a number a day… You are a force of nature, truly.’
Chita Rivera – who died, age 91, on January 30 – originated the role of Aurora in all three productions staged in Toronto/West End in 1992, Broadway in 1993, and the national tour in 1996.
Sônia Braga took on the triple role of Leni Lamaison, Marta, and Spider Woman in Héctor Babenco’s critically-acclaimed 1985 film adaptation, which earned $17M at the global box office.
Jennifer previously co-starred with 74-year-old Braga in Gregory Nava’s 2007 crime drama Bordertown, which earned dismal reviews and bombed at the box office.
Production wrapped June 16 on the 128-minute movie – containing strobe effects – which also stars Bruno Bichir, Josefina Scaglione, and Aline Mayagoitia.
‘It’s probably the most challenging and rewarding role I’ve ever had,’ the Atlas producer-star told Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast last month.
‘It’s a dark story, but also one about love and survival — about helping each other through hard times. I think that’s a message we really need right now.’
Back in May, the ex-girlfriend of Diddy boasted on LIVE with Kelly and Mark that she was ‘the thinnest I’ve ever been’ due to all the choreography.
I’m in fighting shape right now,’ Jennifer stated.
‘I just finished a movie called Kiss of the Spider Woman where it was all singing and dancing, which was equal parts exhilarating and exhausting as well.’
The 41st annual Sundance Film Festival runs January 23-February 2.
Despite her divorce from Affleck, Lopez and her ex have been connected through their projects, as Affleck was also a producer on her latest film Unstoppable, where she stars as struggling single mother-of-five Judy Robles.
The film is now available to stream on Prime Video.
Lopez filed for divorce from the two-time Oscar winner on August 20, on what would’ve been the second anniversary of their Georgia wedding.
Earlier this month it was reported that the pair settled their divorce – five months after their shock split.
Lopez and Affleck, who wed in 2022, will officially end their marriage on February 20, with the pair each walking away with what they individually acquired during their brief union, DailyMail.com can confirm.
The pair have also reached an agreement on their $61million Beverly Hills mansion they bought together, although the terms will remain private.
The former couple wed without a prenuptial agreement, with their cumulative wealth sitting at $550million, and Lopez’s assets accounting for $400million of their wealth treasure chest.