Jennifer Lopez, a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, still has an unfulfilled ambition: stepping behind the camera as a director.

In a conversation with The Envelope from the Los Angeles Times, the 56-year-old music icon shared her perspective on career limitations. “People are always trying to box you in, saying: ‘You can only do this’ or ‘You can only do that,'” she explained.

Despite her numerous achievements, Lopez remains determined to expand her creative pursuits. “I still aspire to direct and write more books,” she stated confidently. “I refuse to let anyone tell me, ‘No, you can’t.'”

Lopez also described herself as a magnet for both praise and criticism, often feeling misunderstood in the public eye.

“It’s challenging when you think, ‘These people don’t get me. They don’t see who I truly am,'” the two-time Grammy nominee expressed, reflecting on her experiences.

‘Then all of a sudden they do. And then they don’t again. Even from when I was very young, I would always say, “I know who I am. I’m a good person. I know what I’m doing. People wouldn’t hire me if I wasn’t good at what I do.” 

Jennifer Lopez has achieved a lot in her career as an entertainer, but she still has one dream that’s been left unfulfilled – directing (pictured December 3)

The 56-year-old pop diva told LA Times: ‘Everybody’s always trying to tell you: “You can only do this” or “You can only do that”… I still want to direct. I still want to write more books. And I don’t ever feel like there’s somebody who can say to me, “No, you can’t”‘

‘I was always affirming myself and keeping my feet on the ground. Luckily, I had a great mom and dad who really instilled in me a sense of self.’

Lopez added: ‘I’d have to block out the noise so I can put my head on the pillow at night and go, “I did good today. I was a good person. I was kind to people. I worked really hard. I’m a good mom.” That has always helped me through.’

The Nuyorican co-founder made her directorial debut in 2018 helming the music video for her song Limitless, which starred her then 10-year-old daughter Emme Maribel Muñiz, who also sang back-up vocals.

‘She was so amazing and I was so proud. I forgot that I was directing my first video, it was all about her. It was all about her,’ Lopez gushed to The Tonight Show at the time.

‘And when you see the video, it’s so empowering for, just to see her doing this but, like, for women. It talks about being limitless, it talks about having second acts, it’s a beautiful message as well, and great to share with her, doing that. We really bonded.’

The non-binary 17-year-old went on to perform Limitless with her famous mother on her subsequent 37-date It’s My Party tour and Super Bowl LIV halftime show in 2020.

Lopez is hard at work rehearsing for her 12-date Up All Night Live in Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace’s The Colosseum, which kicks off December 30.

‘I honestly believe, like, the show is about being happy, having joy, and having fun,’ the ex-girlfriend of Diddy said in a BTS video Thursday.

‘It’s like, “No, I don’t want this or this. My love don’t cost a thing. I’m a woman. I ain’t your mama. I’m not f***ing… I’m throwing out my Louis Vuittons. I don’t want you in my house if you’re going to be an a**hole.” Like, I just want to have fun.’

Lopez compared herself to ‘a lightning rod for nice things and a lot of negativity’ and she frequently feels misunderstood (pictured December 9)

The two-time Grammy nominee lamented: ‘I’d have to block out the noise so I can put my head on the pillow at night and go, “I did good today. I was a good person. I was kind to people. I worked really hard. I’m a good mom.” That has always helped me through’ (pictured November 27)

Lopez made her directorial debut in 2018 helming the music video for her song Limitless, which starred her then 10-year-old daughter Emme Maribel Muñiz (R)

The non-binary 17-year-old went on to perform Limitless with her famous mother on her subsequent 37-date It’s My Party tour and Super Bowl LIV halftime show in 2020 

Lopez gushed to The Tonight Show at the time: ‘She was so amazing and I was so proud. I forgot that I was directing my first video, it was all about her’ 

Lopez is hard at work rehearsing for her 12-date Up All Night Live in Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace’s The Colosseum, which kicks off December 30 

The ex-girlfriend of Diddy said in a BTS video Thursday: ‘I honestly believe, like, the show is about being happy, having joy, and having fun’

Lopez added: ‘It’s like, “No, I don’t want this or this. My love don’t cost a thing. I’m a woman. I ain’t your mama. I’m not f***ing… I’m throwing out my Louis Vuittons. I don’t want you in my house if you’re going to be an a**hole.” Like, I just want to have fun’

It’s worth noting Lopez finalized her divorce from fourth husband Ben Affleck (L, pictured in 2024) on February 21 after less than three years of wedded bliss

It’s worth noting Lopez finalized her divorce from fourth husband Ben Affleck on February 21 after less than three years of wedded bliss.

The American Music Awards host has a notorious reputation in the music industry for passing off the vocals of African-American singers like Ashanti, Christina Milian, and Brandy as her own.

For instance in 2002, Lopez not only kept the entire Jenny from the Block chorus and bridge performed by her back-up vocalist Natasha Ramos on the finished record, she even kept her giggles from the original demo

Despite this, the Emmy-nominated producer – who gets 27.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify – has sold more than 80M records, her music has been streamed 15B times and her music videos have accrued more than 18B views.

Lopez suffered two major box office failures this year as Unstoppable only earned $3,966 before streaming on Prime Video and The Kiss of the Spider Woman only earned $2 million after a $30 million budget.

The Kamala Harris campaigner’s upcoming films include Ol Parker’s Netflix-bound rom-com Office Romance with her ‘best onscreen kisser’ Brett Goldstein and Robert Zemeckis’ thriller The Last Mrs. Parrish for Netflix.

Lopez will also produce Bob the Builder for Amazon MGM Studios.

The JLo Beauty founder – whose big break was starring in Gregory Nava’s 1997 Selena biopic – originally got her start in 1991 as a Fly Girl for Fox’s comedy sketch show In Living Color before serving back-up dancer duties for Janet Jackson in 1993.