Jennifer Lopez said she rehearsed for weeks for an audition to play Eva Perón in the 1996 film Evita, only to be told the role had already been awarded to Madonna.
Lopez recounted the episode during a question-and-answer session after a Los Angeles screening of Kiss of the Spider Woman, telling the packed audience that she had "sung my heart out" for director Alan Parker before he informed her, "You’re amazing. You know Madonna has the part, right?" Lopez said she responded, "Okay, bye-bye. Nice to meet you."
The anecdote was one of several Lopez has publicly shared about near-misses earlier in her career. In a separate interview in January, she said she auditioned for the musicals Chicago and Nine and came close on Nine. She also noted that a planned NBC live production of Bye Bye Birdie announced in 2016 did not move forward.
Lopez, 56, is currently a producer on the film adaptation of the 1993 Broadway musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, which she discussed at the screening. She said the production, which she is producing alongside her ex-husband Ben Affleck, was filmed in a single take. "I was like, 'We’ll do some coverage?'" she recalled of asking the director. "'Nope, no coverage.' I was like, 'F*** me! I better get it right then.'"
She described the single-take approach as both exhilarating and demanding, saying the constraints of time, preparation and budget typical of independent films made rehearsal and precision essential. Lopez recounted that the take was going well until she tripped on her dress, prompting consideration of a restart. She said the company rehearsed intensively and put "our heart and soul into it," calling the finished film "a beautiful thing" and saying she felt she was "living my childhood dreams."
Lopez also said she was offered a musical role outright on another project and recalled reading that script in bed, excited by the prospect of dancing in a dozen musical numbers, playing multiple characters and working with writer-director Bill Condon. "They told me that it was an offer and it’s mine if I want it," she said. "It was like a dream. I’ve been waiting for this since I’m eight years old when I first saw West Side Story with my mom in front of the TV in my little house in the Bronx."
Her recent remarks highlight a long-standing ambition to work in major musical films and a career trajectory that has mixed high-profile setbacks with later opportunities. Evita, released in 1996 and directed by Alan Parker, starred Madonna as Eva Perón and remains one of the high-profile examples Lopez cited of a role that eluded her early on. The anecdotes come as Lopez appears on screen and behind the camera in projects that draw on her background in music, dance and performance.
Industry observers note that casting decisions for major musicals in the 1990s often involved celebrity performers with established recording careers, a trend that placed crossover artists in contention for prominent film roles. Lopez’s account adds personal detail to a period in which she was establishing herself as an actor and entertainer after rising to fame as a recording artist and dancer.
Kiss of the Spider Woman, adapted from the Broadway musical, represents Lopez’s continued interest in theatrical projects for film and offers a look at the practical challenges of staging musical storytelling on a modest production scale. At the Los Angeles event, Lopez framed the project as a fulfillment of an early dream, emphasizing rehearsal and collaboration amid the logistical limitations of independent filmmaking.
Lopez’s recollections of near-misses and later breakthroughs reflect a longstanding pattern in her career: persistent pursuit of theatrical roles, intermittent setbacks and eventual returns to projects that draw on her musical roots. She has continued to pursue film and television projects while maintaining a high-profile recording and performance career.
The screening and Q&A do not appear to signal immediate casting changes or new studio attachments beyond Lopez’s role as a producer on Kiss of the Spider Woman. She did not indicate plans to revisit the Evita role, and her comments focused on the historic anecdote and the work required for her current project.
Lopez’s reflections also underscore the competitive nature of musical-film casting in Hollywood and the ways in which established stars and studio choices shape opportunities for emerging performers. Her account of practicing for weeks and being told the part was already assigned offers a firsthand glimpse into the industry choices that have influenced the careers of several high-profile artists over the past three decades.