 She's the world's leading lady of dance movies music and fashion a Puerto Rican powerhouse from the Bronx Who hustled her way to superstardom? It's all I wanted to do it was almost like nobody was gonna hold me back from doing it or trying it at least My life was fast and furious And I felt like yeah, I'm happy that I'm doing this. I really just wanted to sing songs and make music And I was doing that Jennifer Lopez But life in the public eye led to a private struggle. I got knocked down after I got famous Then people start trying to tear you down Well, she really can't sing and she really can't act and she really wasn't that good in that or you know And they just obliterate you And that's when your confidence really takes a hit no matter how many hit movies you had and millions and millions of records You sold there was always this stigma attached to you That was probably the most anxiety-provoking moments of my life Jennifer Lopez Instead of retreating she learned from her low points and continues to soar during her second act You had to tap into the positive voice and go wait a minute. I'm here for a reason. I have worth I have value I belong here and then It's like the second act Now we take a look at the moments that changed her life. My life went into fast motion Defined her career success felt like a lot of work luckily. I love work And made her who she is I just was on my own ride. This is Jennifer Lopez the ride What can we do for you on December 21st? 2018 J Lo's 35th film second act was released in theaters worldwide The romantic comedy explores themes that hit home for the veteran actress personal reinvention through ambition and belief Wow This is my office second act is a film about a woman named Maya Who works in kind of like a big box store been the manager there for 15 years and is up for a managerial position and she gets passed over basically by somebody much younger with a better education and She just thinks you know what maybe this is where I belong. Maybe I'm not supposed to have more I don't know why I have this feeling inside of me this ambition inside But maybe when life tells you over and over again, this is who you are Then maybe you need to start believing it and she's about to give up And then her life takes a turn somebody call for you Something about a job interview my god Franklin and Clark the role of Maya has a personal connection to Jennifer's own life and career Despite being a powerhouse in the world of film music Television and fashion at times. She's lacked confidence It was only through her failures that she was able to truly understand self-love There is not a successful person where failure is not a huge part of what they've been through Personally and professionally you have to before you figure it out the only thing with a prayer. I'm stopping you The movie is really about Realizing that the mistakes that you've made in the past where you think you don't deserve anything better Which is what really holds you back What's going on in your mind are the things that lead you down the path of your purpose? It's not easy getting a job for a woman your age Watch Jennifer Lopez was born and raised in the Bronx, New York Her Puerto Rican family barely made ends meet but along with her two sisters. She was always encouraged to perform She began taking singing and dancing lessons at the age of four and instantly knew what she wanted out of life I knew from a very young age maybe like four years old five years old that I wanted to Sing and dance and act like I knew that and then as I got older and into my preteen and teenage years I had a love of performing and by the time I was supposed to go into college I told my mom and dad that I was gonna not go to college and pursue show business and Being in the Bronx that didn't go over very well because we knew nobody in the business We had no connections and so it was a very far-fetched dream for them And they were really worried like what is our daughter gonna do and where is this gonna lead her and At the end of the day, I just had to kind of go off on my own and do it at the age of 17 Jennifer left her family in the Bronx and moved to Manhattan to follow her dreams of becoming a big-time entertainer Despite the risky move. She was absolutely certain that she was destined for greatness. I think I had a really Stupid confidence right from the beginning I don't know it was even more like ignorance Like I had such a beautiful youthful ignorance of like nothing can stop me I can do whatever I want and just going for it and going for it It's all I wanted to do It wasn't scary for me It was almost like nobody was gonna hold me back from doing it or trying it at least I'm a simple quarter eating girl from the Bronx We just come down to Manhattan with all my big dreams and just Try to make them come true. I just took it day by day step by step you know with the fundamentals of I'm gonna be a great dancer first and learning that and then I'm gonna be a great actress and then learning that and I'm gonna be a singer and learning that just finding my way and Taking the path where it led me In the early 90s Jennifer's profile was rising thanks to being a fly girl on the successful comedy series in living color After two years on the show She was hired as a dancer for a tour with Janet Jackson, but she left the job to focus on acting I always wanted to sing dance and act that was always part of the plan There was never a moment where I was just gonna be a dancer I just wanted to do it at all not wanting to be in a box ever And after a few years sharpening her skills Jennifer made her way onto the silver screen in 1995 My first movie was a small independent movie called me familia my family with a bunch of Latin actors I was just very pleased to be able to work Like I was happy that I was a working actress and people can see that I had chops And so after me family, I was just like, okay, what's gonna be my next thing? I need I need to audition I need to get into the next movie and luckily I kept going Two years after her film debut Jennifer was offered an audition for the lead role on the highly anticipated biopic Selena which told the life story of the late Latin singer In my mind, there was never any question that I was gonna be a leading lady And so they said this is gonna be a big movie. You should audition for this They did this big casting through Chicago, Mexico City, LA all over to find Somebody to play Selena And I got the part Jennifer's portrayal of Selena made her the highest paid Latina actors in history The film was a huge success and suddenly she was a household name I like any good strong woman role and it doesn't have to be sexy or and it doesn't have to be you know Demure doesn't have to be anything. It just has to be a great role for the confident young star all was going to plan From there. I just went on to do Movies movies success felt like a lot of work Luckily, I love work. I felt really grateful Coming up Jennifer builds her career with a bold new direction I told my manager at the time that I wanted to make a record and he was like, are you kidding me? You're like one of me up-and-coming actresses in Hollywood right now like why would you do that? And I was like nobody could tell me that I wasn't gonna do that I knew that I was gonna be a recording artist and I was gonna make music and I was gonna sing and dance on stage all over the world And later J-Lo's talent is put to the test When you start having this success Then the lens gets on you then they're like who is this? Like at first we're like nice new girl and then after you start having a string of success people go Wait a minute. Did she deserve this success? Let's see. Hey, let's roll team action By 1998 Jennifer Lopez was one of the biggest movie stars in the world But she already had her sights on making it in the music industry Right at the beginning of my career When I was acting and it was going so well. I had done out of sight I had done Selena had done movies with Jack Nicholson and Francis Ford Coppola And I was just rolling as an actress and then I told my manager at the time that I wanted to make a record and he was like Are you kidding me? You're like one of the up-and-coming actresses in Hollywood right now Like why would you do that? And I was like because that's part of who I am Nobody could tell me that I wasn't gonna do that I knew I was gonna be a recording artist I was gonna make music and I was gonna sing and dance on stage all over the world That's what it was gonna be Jennifer fired her manager and financed her own demo which landed on the desk of the head of Sony music Tommy Matola He quickly gave her a deal and she hit the studio to record her debut album on the six When I was making on the six it was my first time ever in a studio I had never really done a ton of singing before except in like school plays and Broadway review shows and things like that, but never Properly in a studio writing songs picking music and recording vocals Tommy Matola just threw me right in All of a sudden he came on the radio and I was like, oh my god, that's my song It's just the craziest feeling in the world Released in May of 1999 on the six was an instant hit Fueled by the singles if you had my love and waiting for tonight the album sold over 10 million worldwide Jennifer was now a triple threat entertainer succeeding in the world of dance film and music. I Just was on my own ride, you know, and I was on my own path And I felt like yeah, I'm happy that I'm doing this and my records out For the single-tip number one, I just you have to pinch me I really just wanted to sing songs and make music and I was doing that so the one it came out and it went right to number one I didn't even celebrate that in the way that somebody who knows about the record business would celebrate it now When I get a number one, I'm like, are we number one? But back then I was happy to have a record on the radio Pictures up in 2001 Jennifer Lopez scored hit after hit at the box office. She also released her second album JLo It hit the top 10 in over 19 countries and her career went into overdrive My life was fast and furious after that But despite continued success and praise from her fans some critics weren't as kind as much as she was being built up Many were trying to knock her down. I Got knocked down after I got famous Once you're in the public eye and they can kind of take shots at you Then people start trying to tear you down Well, she really can't sing and she really can't act and she really wasn't that good in that or you know And they just obliterate you When you start having success then the lens gets on you they're like who is this I got first They're like nice new girl and then after you have started having a string of good things happen or success people go wait a minute Did she deserve this success? She can't really sing like a wreath of Franklin. So does she have any merit here? Then they started looking at everything I did Brainiacs out there speculate that I was naked it has a bathing suit thing underneath no matter how many hit movies You had and how many millions and millions of records you sold there was always this stigma attached Eventually Jennifer's doubters began to get inside her head and the unshakable competence she had was being tested Wait a minute. I'm sold millions of records and I had tons of hit movies and Wait, I must be doing something good right right and it was like this battle inside my head of like no Everybody says you suck. You know what I mean? And I'm like, but wait Everything's going good. They keep hiring you Okay, and it's like two voices in your head That was probably the most anxiety-provoking moment of my life or the where my confidence was shattered In 2002 Jennifer Lopez released her most iconic track yet Jenny from the block was a reaffirmation of her Bronx girl roots This song was kind of just letting people know, you know that I'm just the same girl I was always, you know, I'm still the same person I'm still Jenny from the block from back in the Bronx and and that's who I am and that's who I'm always gonna be This song seemed almost too elementary to be as great as I now recognize it to be lyrically You know what I mean? Because it really did capture how I felt about myself In 2002 after more hit films a third album in a popular clothing line The press could not get enough of Jennifer Lopez It's been crazy like a roller coaster ride whether they were praising her stardom Or questioning her abilities does beat you down. I haven't security like anybody else One thing was for sure her image sold magazines and she was constantly shadowed by the paparazzi It was a hard time it was a really really hard time This was before social media, so this was like the social media of the time except it was very one-sided We couldn't say how we felt the people couldn't get to know us in that way It's like something happens to you and it's like everybody thinks that they know what you're thinking or what he's thinking And what's happening between you and nobody knows but when the tabloids were out And we were being hounded by paparazzi constantly. It was a really hard time JLo's high-profile engagement to leading man Ben Affleck only added to the public interest for details of her private life I remember being on the cover of those tabloids for two years straight, and it was brutal You don't bargain for that side of it But like I say you learn how to deal with it. I think it absolutely contributed to the demise of our Relationship and the love that we had it was just it was there was so much judgment and pressure and scrutiny and Opinions and it was just a really really hard thing to deal with That has to be a piece of mine. I mean people deal with a lot worse stuff in the world than that But for that for that moment. It was just it was a hard thing. It was sad Jennifer's wedding plans were called off and although it was a tough breakup JLo gained strength in the lessons. She learned such a Learning and growing experience. I'm kind of glad that I went through it. You're not quite the same person You were before you had to tap into The positive voice and go wait a minute. I'm here for a reason. I have worth. I have value I belong here and then it's like the second act Coming soon on Jennifer Lopez the ride Arthur got his MBA from Duke. He's the best man for the job. No, sir I am JLo gets her groove back and enters her second act of failures and the The downs like they say are the things that help you get to now where you feel like I Got this the only thing with a prayer of stopping you is you Just start understanding yourself but without making the mistakes without trying and falling flat on your fucking face You're not ever gonna know that keep evolving. Keep getting better. Keep growing keep challenging yourself Keep elevating and that's definitely The beginning of the second act for me the newest member of the video band got a war Jennifer Lopez Make my own rules. I just love what I do