¡Bidi Bidi Bom Bom! How 'Selena' the film forever marked Jennifer Lopez's life

It’s been 22 years since Jennifer Lopez became Selena

On March 21, it will be 22 years since the U.S. premiere of the movie Selena, a film that continues to be a favorite among her fans and that also completely changed the life of its lead actress, Jennifer Lopez.

The film, which honors the life of Selena Quintanilla, marked a before and after for JLo, whose massive success can be substantially attributed to her starring role as the Queen of Tex-Mex.

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Jennifer Lopez during her Selena Quintanilla years

Even though the actress began her acting, dancing and singing career in 1986, it wasn’t until 1997 that her career really took off. Prior to Selena, JLo worked on several projects, but only received widespread recognition from the film My Family, where she gave life to María.

Selena changed all that. "It marked my life ... It was an important part of my life, it still is. I found my voice in Selena, " JLo said at the time.

A very original Selena 

Even though her role as Selena was controversial because, unlike the Tex-Mex icon, Jennifer is not of Mexican descent, when the film premiered, the critics applauded. Clearly, the role was perfect for the singer-actress.

Following the film’s success, the Selena star was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress. However, Helen Hunt took home the statue for her performance in As Good as it Gets.

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Jennifer Lopez vs. Salma Hayek for Selena

Many young women auditioned for the coveted starring role, but according to Salma Hayek, director Gregory Nava already had his mind set on her on Jennifer Lopez. In support of her fellow actresses, Salma chose to not participate in the casting call.

“I told him I wouldn’t do it. Doing that role would have served my career, but it doesn’t matter," she said in an interview with La Taquilla.

Jennifer met Ojani Noa thanks to Selena, the film

Besides marking her career as a singer-actress, Selena also left a mark on JLo’s heart. During the filming of the movie, the then 27-year-old met her first husband, Ojani Noa. Although their marriage only lasted a year, it was enough time for the actress to realize she was looking for a life-long relationship.

JLo in Anaconda

Shortly after Selena, the mom-of-two starred in the film Anaconda, which turned out to be a hit at the box office. That same year she appeared in U Turn, Out of Sight and she lent her voice talents to the role of Azteca in Antz.

Selena helped a JLo get into singing 

Being in Selena Quintanilla’s shoes showed Jennifer the road to follow to become a singer, without leaving acting behind. In 1998, music producer Tommy Mottola took notice of her career. And he was not mistaken! “I’d sung as part of a choir in musicals, but never as a soloist. I realized I shouldn’t hold back that part of me,” she said.

Success on her first album

Although dipping your toes into something new isn’t always easy, JLo launched a successful career in music with the debut of her first album, On The 6. The album placed her at the top of the charts with the songs like If You Had My Love, Waiting for Tonight and No Me Ames, which she sang alongside Marc Anthony, who later became her husband and father of her twins.

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Her first Guinness Record

Fame continued following the Second Act star and in 2001 she broke a Guinness Record by becoming the first artist to have the most-watched film and most-sold album within the same week. The record came thanks to the film, The Wedding Planner and her J. Lo album, which includes the songs Love Don't Cost A Thing and I'm Real, among others. The film bumped her to the list of the ten highest-paid women in Hollywood history.

Jenny From the Block 

Jennifer has always been conscious of the fact that Selena Quintanilla played an important role in her career, and in 2015 she made a tribute to her during her act at the Billboard Latin Music Awards. Alongside Los Dinos, led by AB Quintanilla, JLo performed Como la Flor, Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, Amor Prohibido and a few others. Their performance is considered to be one of the most emotional in the history of the awards.

Selena remains close to her heart

Even though 22 years have passed since she played her role as Selena, the Anillo singer, who is currently engaged to Alex Rodriguez, continues to fondly remember Selena.

"Selena was such a bright light and such a wonderful and talented artist. It's one of those things with which you're born. She simply happened to have an inner light. She was a star,” she said in 2017 during the ¡Viva Latino! Podcast. There’s no doubt Selena and Jennifer will forever be linked.