Versatile actress-singer Jennifer Lopez has done several movies in her three-decade-long-acting career, especially after she was catapulted to fame with the biopic, "Selena" (1997), on the late Latina singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez.

She portrayed a maid at the Beresford Hotel in "Maid in Manhattan" (2002), a veteran stripper and lap dancer in "Hustlers" (2019), the mother of a disabled wrestler in "Unstoppable" (2024), among others.

But when Bill Condon cast her in the musical "Kiss of the Spider Woman," J. Lo couldn't help but be so excited. She told us in our exclusive interview with her at The London Hotel in West Hollywood, "The minute I read the script, I knew this was something I've been waiting for my whole life. I kept asking, he's offering it to me, right? Like, I don't have to meet with him. And they were like, no, he wants you to do it. I was like, okay, I'm going to do it. So, it was great!"

The movie, which is written and directed by Condon, is based on the same stage musical by Terrence McNally, John Kander and Fred Ebb. Lopez portrays Ingrid Luna/Aurora/The Spider Woman, Diego Luna as Valentin Arregui/Armando and Tonatiuh as Luis Molina/Kendall Nesbitt.

We were able to sit down for an exclusive interview with Lopez, Tonatiuh, and Condon, speak with them at roundtables and during a press conference. Below are excerpts from those conversations.

Jennifer Lopez (Ingrid Luna/Aurora/The Spider Woman) and Tonatiuh (Luis Molina/Kendall Nesbitt)

Contributed photo

Congratulations to both of you. So, what made you say yes to this project?

Tonatiuh: Jennifer said it earlier today. We sometimes don't get these meaty, meaty roles and play multiple people. For each of us to play with multiple people is just like a gift. And to go across time was also really fun. And to challenge ourselves to do these classic musical numbers in single takes was a lot. But it's fun. That challenge is like what we live for.

Jennifer: Yeah, the minute I read the script, I knew this was something I've been waiting for my whole life. I kept asking, he's offering it to me, right? Like, I don't have to meet with him. And they were like, no, he wants you to do it. I was like, okay, I'm going to do it. So, it was great!

Jennifer, you're wearing two hats - executive producer and actress. So, was it scary for you to be filling in the shoes of Sonia Braga (who portrayed the Spider Woman in the 1985 film) and Chita Rivera (who portrayed the Spider Woman in the West End and Broadway musicals in 1992 and 1993)?

Jennifer: Always, there's going to be people who want to compare things. But the truth is, there are such different iterations of the story. One was a film, you know, straight drama. The other one was a musical on Broadway, and this is a movie musical. So, Sonia and Chita were so different in the way that they played the role. And I did it in my own way with, of course, homage to everything that they've done. Because I love Sonia. I've worked with Sonia before. I never met Chita. She was supposed to make the movie with us.

I'm so sad. And then she passed away. Like, in the first week we were rehearsing, and so.

I was devastated about that. It's a privilege to be able to step into these roles and to bring them to a new generation and bring them back into the zeitgeist. I was saying earlier that I don't think that this story that Manuel Puig wrote back in the 70s is done yet. It's not done doing its job. And so, we're here to help it do that again.

What is the relevance of the film these days? Why is it so important to do this movie today?

Tonatiuh: I think in a time where, like non-binary folks, queer individuals, Latinos, there are so many, there is so much like antagonism. It's a reminder that we have dignity, that we contribute, we bring so much life and beauty and art to the community, and that diversity is totally beautiful. But furthermore, there's something really like the end message of the whole thing is that it's our souls that see each other. That's who you fall in love with. These little physical forms that were temporarily borrowed are so negligible to the spirit that we're sharing. It reminds us that we're a part of a collective. That everything that's happening, we do this, we do art, we live for art, we live for beauty, we live for community. And there, in the darkest of times, that's what gets us through. And you're not alone.

And this is your first time working with director Bill Condon. So, talk about that experience.

Jennifer: Working with Bill for me was so much fun. He's a great collaborator. He really knew what he wanted to do. He was very adamant about it being three Latino stars in this, starring in these parts. So, it was authentic to the story that was originally written.