Jennifer Lopez Said Her Oscar Snub for ‘Hustlers’ ‘Was a Sting’

As awards season ramps up again, some of us might still be puzzling over the snubs of years past. Jennifer Lopez, for instance, starred in the 2019 hit Hustlers and was a favorite for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. When that nomination failed to materialize, the star bounced back in a very Jennifer Lopez way: She reminded everyone of her talent by performing at the Super Bowl, then the 2021 inauguration. But still, didn’t that slight from the Academy hurt?

“It was a sting,” Lopez admits in a new interview for Allure. In fact, it made her question the whole praise-and-hype-and-glory apparatus. “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?’”

Eventually, though, she had to accept it and refocus on what actually matters. She remembers, “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.’”

The singer, actor, and beauty mogul continued, “The point is creating and the joy that I get from the things I get to put out in the world that entertain and inspire and empower people…I think my life is about more than awards.” A good lesson even for those of us who don’t dream of Oscar glory: Focus on the work, and worship not the golden idols.

Still, Lopez gives herself credit for the incredible amount of work she put into the role, and we should, too. “I started training for Hustlers in January 2019. I went from training for Hustlers to doing Hustlers to going on a tour to doing awards season while filming [upcoming rom-com] Marry Me…Then training for Super Bowl rehearsals. And then it was the Super Bowl,” she recalls, “It was nonstop for a year.”

She eventually got some home time with her fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, who took to lockdown life like a fish to socially distanced water. “Alex, of all people, was like, ‘I love it. I love being at home. I love doing my Zooms. I love knowing the kids are there, and you’re there all the time,'” reveals Lopez, adding, “It has been actually really good. We got to work on ourselves. We did therapy. I think it was really helpful for us in our relationship.”

Relationships and passions. Yep, those are the things that matter. Sorry, Oscar.