I’ll credit Duana, yet again, who first described Jennifer Lopez as “Teflon” on an episode of our Show Your Work podcast years ago – because it’s not like JLo doesn’t experience dips; dips are normal in life and in show business. And JLo’s had her share of scandal and bad press too. But the Teflon label refers to her ability to bounce and clear – that is, nothing sticks to her, she never wears it. And, once again, she’s flexing that superpower.
After six months of sh-t, with all that mess on TikTok and supposedly getting ghosted by her estranged husband, Ben Affleck, eventually leading to her filing for divorce, JLo turned it around at TIFF with the premiere of Unstoppable. That silver dress with the open sides made headlines around the world, critics praised her performance, and now we’re finding out, she was also there to make deals.
Deadline had the exclusive yesterday – JLo’s collaborating with Brett Goldstein on an upcoming rom-com that he will write. They will co-star and co-produce. And apparently there was a “hot bidding war” for the project which eventually went to Netflix. JLo’s movies do well on the service, with Mother and Atlas bringing in strong streaming numbers.
Brett, by the way, was also at TIFF, and I’d love to know whether or not they were negotiating behind the scenes at the festival and how quickly the deal came together. For Brett, securing JLo’s involvement would have been a major boost. She has an established track record with Netflix and in rom-coms. Can’t imagine there would have been a bidding war if she wasn’t attached.
And for JLo, it’s a reminder that TikTok doesn’t know sh-t, because there is talent, so much talent, in Hollywood who want to work with her. Brett Goldstein is not just Roy Kent. He was in the writers’ room on Ted Lasso too. And he co-created Shrinking, one of my favourite shows and it’s coming back next month! My point is, this isn’t someone who’s dumping his own work into the toilet with JLo purely for a cash grab. So even if her album flopped and the tour flopped and the documentary and the short film were criticised and panned? JLo Teflon, at work again. Brush it off, keep it moving.
Unstoppable will be followed by Kiss of the Spider Woman, two back-to-back prestige films. Then Office Romance with Brett at some point next year when he’s finished with the script. So it was never a question whether or not JLo could bounce back. The only question, really, is whether or not she’ll be officially divorced by then.
Attached - JLo visiting a friend yesterday in LA.
