Jennifer Lopez has had a bit of action over the years, notably the acclaimed 1998 neo-noir romantic thriller out of sight and the 2002 domestic abuse revenge thriller Sufficient,
But the famous multi-hyphenate is on such an action kick right now, she's busting 'em out faster than Jason Statham.
In January, Lopez upped the body count in Prime Video's action-comedy shotgun wedding, she recently wrapped the dystopian sci-fi adventure Atlas For a possible release in 2024. And this weekend, she debuted Mother On Netflix, the revenge thriller directed by Niki Caro stars a rogue military-trained killer who comes out of hiding to protect the daughter he was forced to leave (Lucy Pease) from two vicious criminals .
“I think it's really me getting these opportunities to play these roles that I wasn't even getting in my 20s and 30s,” Lopez, 53, told Yahoo Entertainment, on the comparisons to Statham. Laughing, with whom she co-starred in the 2013 heist film parker, (Watch the full interview above.)
“So it's really empowering and when I get sent these scripts and I look at them. … I think there's a really beautiful story at the core of it and [we looked at] what a great action movie [it could] It depends on who we bought as director [was] Nikki,” she says.
Caro was previously known for helming 2003's Tearjerker whale Rider Before directing Disney's action-packed $200 million live-action adaptation Mulan In 2020.
“In this one, I got to branch out into more traditional action movie genre pieces,” Caro says. “I really enjoy designing and executing the action sequences, and I enjoy them even more with Jennifer as the lead, because she can do so much of it. So many [stunts] are actually his. She is good at everything. And what's so wonderful about her in this movie is that, yes, she flexes all the action movie muscles, but also reminds us of what a great dramatic actress she is.”
Omari Hardwick, who plays an FBI agent who assists Lopez along the way, says Mother It is emblematic of the kind of transformation the film industry is going through now.
“Jane's character is really from some stuff,” says Power And army of the dead actor. “In the old days of Hollywood, this character was not known to anyone her age or maybe her gender [or ethnicity]… So the fact that Jen played it at an age that she could play it and be the force that she can be in her career, I immediately thought, ‘I've never done anything like this before.' So it was a beautiful opportunity for me.”
Premiering on Mother's Day weekend, the film's release date is no coincidence.
“We have to showcase the real side of mom, not the sugar side,” Pez says. “And you're putting a mother at the center of an action thriller, which doesn't happen often.”
“I don't think you've ever seen anything like it,” says Lopez, who showed the film to her 15-year-old twins for reaction. “I think we're used to seeing men in these kind of avenging roles, protecting their children, but you haven't really seen a mother do that and a mother who is capable like that. And it's really amusing.” [film], But at the core of it, I can't tell you how many people have said they were moved to tears at the end of it. They were crying. There is also a very touching story in this. So I think it's a great Mother's Day entertainer for the whole family.”
Mother Premieres May 12 on Netflix.
watch the trailer: