Jennifer Lopez Opens Up To José Díaz Balart About Not Taking Hispanic Roles In 'Enfoque' Interview

Telemundo’s anchor José Díaz Balart was excited to have Jennifer Lopez on his show while the star was in Miami promoting “The Boy Next Door”, which she produced and stars in. The film will be released on January 23 throughout the US but Lopez had a lot to tell Díaz Balart on how she picked her initial roles and why. The anchor spoke to HuffPost Voces about the January 18 interview for his show “Enfoque” on Telemundo, and why he was so happy to have her there.

“I was very happy to have Jennifer Lopez on my show “Enfoque”; we spoke about our children and what she wants them to learn from her; to which Jennifer confessed that what she most wants to show them is to love themselves and to be happy and complete human beings,” said Balart. The journalist also went on to explain one of his favorite moments was when the singer talked about how her career began, “She said she thinks about her past often and how she had dreams that seemed impossible, and even she’s asked herself how it is she’s been able to achieve them: Lots of work, focus and dedication,” he explained.

“What was most surprising,” said the anchor, “was that she told me how angry it made her to see the way Hollywood saw Latinos and therefore started rejecting roles that were given to her or had anything to do with her roots. Balart said the singer explained how at the beginning of her career, every role she was offered was Hispanic but imagined through Hollywood stereotypes like cleaning lady, nanny or housemaid, so Lopez decided to look for roles that would end that ‘cliché’,” Díaz Balart concluded.

However, Lopez did star in “Selena” and “Maid in Manhattan” earlier in her career, so it will definitely be interesting to hear when she decided she would stop taking those roles. The interview is to air on January 18 at 1/12 PM CT on Telemundo.