Jennifer Lopez gives an impactful speech on the importance of representation and encourages Hollywood to keep telling stories that represent diverse communities while accepting the Equity in Entertainment Award at THR's Women in Entertainment 2025 gala.
00:00I am so humbled to be in the presence of all of you. Thank you so much. All these amazing women. I just look like I should have spent more time on my speech.
00:25I have been so busy.
00:30Thank you. Thank you, Carrie.
00:52Wow. I'm so sorry. Just give me a second to collect myself. I'm a very emotional person.
00:59And how are you so eloquent and brilliant at this time of the morning? I don't know. It's very early.
01:08I'm not sure how I'm supposed to follow what you just said, but I will try my best.
01:20Thank you to The Hollywood Reporter for this Equity and Entertainment Award. I really am honored. Thank you so much.
01:29When we talk about equity and entertainment, I, like so many others in this room, speak from experience.
01:38In the early days of my career, I often felt like, like that underdog, you know, that Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx who was kind of wasn't supposed to be in the room, let alone at the center of, at the center of it.
01:52I was told in a hundred different ways what roles people like me were expected to play.
01:59And I played some of those roles.
02:01I saw how stereotypes tried to box me in before I even had the chance to show what I could really do.
02:08And then Selena came along.
02:11And it was a film that changed the course of my career.
02:15You know, I've always known that I was walking the path made possible by trailblazers like Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno, Dolores Del Rio, Katie Jurado, Latina woman who opened doors long before I ever dreamed of this career.
02:32Yet, decades later, there was still resistance to a Latina leading a studio movie and having to work so incredibly hard to prove that we can carry romantic comedies and thrillers and command the stage.
02:50Hoping that with each role, the myth of it can't be done evaporated just a little bit more.
02:58That representation rearranges the boundaries of imagination for a new generation.
03:05And when I thought about what I wanted to say today, I kept returning to the films that shaped me.
03:11The first is West Side Story because it was the first time I saw people who looked and sounded like me on screen.
03:20And it made me believe that I too could be in the movie business.
03:24And that's why I'm so proud to be part of A Kiss of the Spider Woman.
03:29Manuel Puig wrote that groundbreaking novel in the 1970s.
03:33A story about two prisoners, one queer and one political, sharing a cell and discovering connection in the darkest of times and the smallest of spaces.
03:43It is about imagination as survival, empathy as rebellion and humanity as liberation.
03:53At its core, it's about loving each other.
03:56Remembering that love is the thing.
03:59Manuel did this at a time when portraying a queer protagonist as complex, flawed, brave and quite simply human was nothing short of revolutionary.
04:11There is a reason, I think, that this story keeps getting adapted, keeps getting told.
04:17It is more relevant than ever in 2025.
04:20Unfortunately, oppression doesn't stay in the past.
04:25It morphs, it shifts, it shows up in new forms.
04:28And Puig reminds us that identity, sexuality, power and humanity are not simple boxes to check.
04:36They are lived experiences that demand compassion and nuance.
04:42Equity and entertainment is a relay, I think.
04:45You know, someone hands you a story, a role, an opportunity and you pass it forward, hopefully farther.
04:52And in my very flawed and inhuman way, I have tried to be intentional in honoring that.
05:03Gregory Nava did that for me with Selena.
05:05He took a huge risk and changed my life.
05:07And I remember that when I'm advocating for stories that reflect our multifaceted realities.
05:14Pushing for inclusivity that goes beyond tokenism and fostering authentic connection and understanding.
05:22Trying hard to ensure our screens reflect the kaleidoscope of human experience where no one is relegated to the periphery.
05:30Puig did that boldly decades before we had phrases like, representation matters.
05:38His work taught us that when you shine a light on someone who has been kept in the dark, the whole room changes.
05:45Throughout my career, and one of the reasons I started Nuyorican Productions, I have tried to choose stories that show the fullness of who we are.
05:54Latinos, yes, but also black and brown talent, indigenous artists, LGBTQ plus communities, immigrants, women, non-binary, people with disabilities.
06:06Every single person whose experiences have too often been labeled niche when they are anything but.
06:13That means hiring underrepresented writers, directors, and crew.
06:18Producing work that is not always the safe bet.
06:21And yes, hearing, are you sure about this?
06:24But if our communities waited for certainty, we would not be here at all.
06:29I try to mentor, to give people the yes that I didn't always get.
06:33Sometimes encouragement and introduction are just a little reassurance.
06:38All I have ever wanted is to help people get the visibility, resources, and respect they deserve.
06:45This award is not just a reminder of how far we've come, it's a reminder of the work still ahead.
06:53And it requires all of us, the storytellers, the executives, the dreamers, the disruptors, and every person in this room who is brave enough to keep going.
07:03So thank you, Hollywood Reporter, for this honor.
07:07Let's keep pushing, keep imagining, keep insisting on a world where everyone gets to take up space.
07:12And let's keep telling stories like Kiss of the Spider Woman that liberate people long before the world realizes how desperately it needs them.
07:21Thank you so much.
07:23Again, I am so humbled and so incredibly moved to be included in this room.
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