Jennifer Lopez turns heads with her wardrobe choices, from the green Versace gown she wore to the 2000 Golden Globe Awards to the sequinned bodysuit she wore to perform at the 2011 American Music Awards.
Lopez dug deep into her own wardrobe for the new movie The Boy Next Door, which opens in the United States on Friday. She was an executive producer of the film, which was made for less than $4 million (Dh14.7m).
“Wardrobe can get really expensive,” she explained in a recent interview. “With this movie, we didn’t have that luxury. It was about: ‘Who is Claire? What’s the palette? We’ll use my jeans, my shoes, my sweaters.’ A lot of things were mine.”
Lopez plays Claire, a recently separated teacher with a teenage son who shares a steamy night with a 19-year-old neighbour (played by Ryan Guzman), who then turns 50 shades of crazy.
“The artist in me wants more freedom to do more things as far as stories and movies and acting,” she said.
“It’s about finding avenues and ways to do that instead of waiting for people to hire me. [To] know that I can do different kinds of movies. Any kind I want. Put my name on the line, do it for free and say: ‘Yeah, I believe in this.’ I like the idea. It’s very empowering to me that that’s a possibility.”
Her co-star Kristen Chenoweth said recently that she marvelled at Lopez’s work ethic and feels she’s “a kindred spirit”.
“I cannot believe the type A, perfectionist, professionalism that that woman carries,” Chenoweth said. “It’s something that I try to have and it’s something I admire in women. She’s a strong woman.”
Speaking up and saying no is something she’s learnt over time, said Lopez, a mother of 6-year-old twins, Max and Emme, with her ex-husband Marc Anthony.
“There were times I hit the wall early on and you go: ‘OK I can’t do that.’ You don’t know you have limits when you’re young. Then you reach the limit and you go: ‘Oh, I can’t do that. And next time I won’t.’
“Then when you have kids, it’s another reality check. I have to be the best for them. You go: ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do that. No. The answer is no. That’s too much in one day. Take that out. Move that.’”
She also jokes that “people want you more when you say no – this is in every aspect of your life”.
The 45-year-old singer-actress is a judge on Fox's American Idol, which recently launched its 14th season.
“We have a great roster of kids. We were superconscious of how we were choosing and we talked a lot about it and we said: ‘This is what we want. We’re not settling. This is what we’re looking for. It’s got to be the whole package.’”
artslife@thenational.ae
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
