Cosmopolitan for Latinas Covergirl Jennifer Lopez Talks Childhood, Heroes and Her Body

Latina superstar and icon Jennifer Lopez recently graced the cover of the Cosmopolitan for Latinas Winter 2013 issue. During her interview with the magazine, she disclosed information about her Puerto Rican upbringing, her childhood hero, and her body.

Lopez, 44, shared her favorite part about being Latina, which for her was growing up in the Bronx in a Puerto Rican household with passionate and strong parents, who taught her to love things intensely. This is how she came to love the film West Side Story. Though the film did not show Latinos in the best light, the Puerto Rican men and women it in film were allowed to showcase talent and express passion in a way that she was familiar with. And she was particularly drawn to the passion and intensity in one actress' performance.

"I was really moved watching 'West Side Story' as a young girl and seeing Puerto Rican stars in it," Lopez told the magazine. "Even though it wasn't the best depiction of us, they still have the passion and love that I relate to -- not to mention the singing and dancing! Rita Moreno became a hero to me," Lopez said about Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in the film.

Lopez herself would pursue singing and dancing. She began her career on the set of In Living Color as a "Fly Girl," and continued to make strides even though many in Hollywood, even her own manager, told her to make alterations to her body. But, it was those moments that taught her pride, allowed her to stand and say, "There's nothing wrong with me or my shape or who I am. You're the one with the problem." She stated that once she really began to believe that, others believed it as well.

Since beginning her career, Lopez has made chart-topping music, was featured in the several highly acclaimed films, including the biopic Selena, where she was given the opportunity to perform in front of 35,000 people for the first time; she has become a producer, working behind the camera for ABC's The Fosters; and she has launched her own network, NUVOtv network.