From Selena to Ramona: The Winding Acting Career of Jennifer Lopez

If you’re a millennial for whom the 2002 music video for “Jenny From the Block” meant a lot, it may not be surprising to learn that Jennifer “Jenny” “J.Lo” Lopez, soon to appear in the true-story ensemble film Hustlers as a scamming stripper, got her start on TV as a dancer. Lopez was, famously, one of In Living Color’s in-house “Fly Girls,” the female dancers who performed in between sketches by Keenen Ivory Wayans and his assorted family members, as well as Jim Carrey and a young Jamie Foxx (who started on the show in its third season, like Lopez). The 22-year-old Lopez, who joined the show via a gigantic national audition, was already a standout in the diverse cast, not only for her Puerto Rican origins, but also for not being a conventional size-6 dancer and for having loads of natural charisma. At times, she basically looked like a Latina Marilyn Monroe.