“I think I’m an underdog,” Jennifer Lopez revealed to Rolling Stone. “I always feel like I’m scraping from the bottom.” While Lopez may seem like the definition of Hollywood A-list — performing at the Super Bowl, dating former flame (and Oscar winner) Ben Affleck — the “Marry Me” actress admitted there are certain stereotypes she just can’t shake. “I always felt like I wasn’t the one that was supposed to be in the room. That’s part of being Puerto Rican and from the Bronx and a woman,” Lopez said. “Not being born into a family with money. Not knowing anybody in the business. I just went out there and said, ‘Fuck it. I’m going to just try. I’m going to try to get in here.’”

Lopez encouraged fans to realize “there are no rules” when it comes to success, even if she feels her peers or critics don’t perceive her to be in the same standing. Related ‘Shotgun Wedding’ Trailer: Jennifer Lopez Is Held Hostage at Her Own Nuptials Ben Affleck Quoted His Own Film During Wedding Speech to Jennifer Lopez Related Oscars 2023: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Predictions Oscars 2023: Best Original Song Predictions
“It’s just 20, 25 years of people going, ‘Well, she’s not that great. She’s pretty and she makes cute music, but it’s not really this and that,’” Lopez said. “You know, I think I’ve done some nice work over the years, some really nice work. But there is a club that I just wasn’t a part of. And I always acted like, ‘Yeah, I’m good. I’m fine. I’m OK.’ But it hurts to not be included. I don’t know if I will ever be. There is an inner circle, like, ‘We are the great artists.’ And then there’s the pop artists.” After the “Hustlers” triple threat was nominated at the 2020 Golden Globes and SAG Awards, Lopez called out the Academy for the film being “obviously absent” at the Oscars. “It was a sting,” Lopez told Allure magazine last year. “I was like, ‘Okay, when you’re supposedly in everybody else’s mind supposed to be nominated and you’re not, what does that mean? Is it really real? Are the other ones real and this one isn’t?’ It came to a point where I was like, ‘This is not why I do this. I don’t do this to have 10 Oscars sitting on my mantel or 20 Grammys.’” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.