Does Jennifer Lopez Embrace Being Latina? 'Selena' Co-Star Edward James Olmos Urged 'I Luh Ya Papi' Singer to Help Latina Women
In 1997, Jennifer Lopez gained fame portraying "The Queen of Tejano Music" Selena. On the movie set, she met Edward James Olmos, who is now a respected Mexican actor and director. According to Olmos, however, Lopez has not succeeded in uniting her success with her Latina culture since "Selena."
During an interview with Telemundo's "Suletla La Sopa," he shared what 67 years of being Latino means to him (in Spanish, of course).
"Being Latino -- I love it," he said. "I love being Latino. It's a love that I have that comes from a deep sense of pride."
Olmos encourages Latinos in the spotlight to share and embrace the culture. He doesn't think his former "Selena" co-star has accomplished this, despite his earlier warning.
"['Selena' brought her] to a stardom that she would not have been able to reach without that film," he said of the "I Luh Ya Papi" singer. "I told her: You have to understand that the future is in your hands, and hopefully you will not only use it to get yourself ahead but to get what we represent ahead, being a Latina woman."
In 2012, Lopez, who was raised by Puerto Rican parents in the Bronx, became a NuVoTV shareholder, but Olmos' opinions are strong.
"She's done a lot of things, but she hasn't dedicated herself to her culture, and that's very important to me," he continued.
Lopez isn't the only star on Olmos' lack of Latino-ness naughty list. Actor Andy Garcia, who was born in Havana, Cuba, was also mentioned. According to Osmos, the two "don't like the limitations of being a Latino; they only want to be artists." Indeed in 2009, Garcia told Agencia Efe he doesn't "consider myself a Latino actor, nor do I want people to consider me or classify me in that way. One should classify all actors as equals."
Olmos looks at it differently than, who he considers, his culturally disconnected colleagues.
"I am a Latino artist," he said.
Despite his criticisms, Olmos still considers Lopez a friend.
"We're friends, and we care about each other a lot, but I've never been to her house," Olmos shared.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @SH____4.
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