But in recent months I’m told the usually self-assured star, 56, has had a crisis of confidence and is contemplating doing the once unthinkable – walking away from her acting career for good.
A source close to J-Lo told us: “She has been thinking a lot about how her career has been going over the last few months.
“During the summer, she met with family and close friends to discuss what to do with some of the projects she is working on, as well as the impact some of her recent movies and acting roles have had on her career and her confidence in acting.
“She is going through moments where she is doubting how to bounce back after making so many movies that haven’t worked in the last few years.”
According to the insider, the constant flops and critical feedback have caused Jen to question whether stepping in front of a camera is even worth the stress.
“She is asking herself whether she should give up on acting, as the disappointment and bad reviews have had a major impact on her confidence and her desire to put energy into acting,” the source explained.
“She knows that people now see her as an actress who features in movies that flop, and that is affecting her mindset negatively. There have been moments when she has wanted to call it quits on acting and focus instead on producing movies or TV projects and her music.”
Her wobble comes on the heels of a particularly brutal stretch – while she once commanded the box office with romantic comedy classics, her recent projects have struggled to take off.
Her self-funded $20 million passion project, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, was widely panned by critics as a bizarre, self-indulgent spectacle.
Her high-concept Netflix sci-fi epic, Atlas, had a lukewarm reception. Last year her ambitious musical adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman – a project she championed passionately and which was produced by her ex-husband Ben Affleck – turned into a devastating box office bomb, grossing a paltry $1.8 million against a $30 million budget.
It’s a far cry from the likes of Maid in Manhattan, which is thought to have made $174 million worldwide back in 2002. And in 2015, her voiceover in DreamWorks animation Home helped it make $386 million worldwide.
For a star who built her brand on relentless ambition and an impressive work ethic, the latest movie struggles have taken its toll. According to pals, what hurts most is the fear that her recent box-office track record could affect her standing within the industry she worked so hard to conquer. She is reportedly terrified that fellow actors and top-tier directors will begin steering clear of her.
“She also knows that some actors and actresses may be against working with her because she has had many flops in her last few movies,” my insider explained.
“She doesn’t want to be a ‘curse’ or a ‘bad influence’ on movie projects.”
But amid all the uncertainty – there is one person who is still very much in her corner, her ex-husband, Ben Affleck.
In an interview earlier this month with Variety, the 54-year-old actor – who split from Jen for a second time in April 2024, insisted her talent has been repeatedly overlooked.
When asked about her being snubbed by the award shows for both Kiss of the Spider Woman and Hustlers, Ben didn’t hold back.
“I’m biased,” Ben responded. “I have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for what she can do. What I’ve found with awards is that sometimes the degree of commercial success for things doesn’t always correlate to my taste. It’s a part of this weird, subjective business that people bring a lot of their own stuff to.”
He went on: “I don’t always think the right person won the right award. But guess what? I don’t think you die and go to heaven, and God says, ‘This was the actual best picture in 1986.’ At the end of the day, it’s just a bunch of people voting on movie prizes.”
Despite Ben’s public vote of confidence, Jennifer is desperate to rebuild her confidence and it’s said to be finding it particularly tough considering how easily music has always come to her.
Jen has had hit after hit over the years and her dance collaboration this year with David Guetta – Save Me Tonight – was number one on Billboard’s Dance chart.
Our source explained: “She is getting older and knows she doesn’t want to waste too much energy and reputation on something that could impact everything else in her projects, in the music industry for example.
“She is scared that people will remember her legacy as someone who had more movies that failed or were badly received than movies that were successful and had an impact.”
They added: “It’s all very tough to deal with, and she just wants what’s best for her, even if she has to call it quits on her acting career.” – Sun Club
