Jennifer Lopez missed out on iconic musical role for auditioning too late

‘You know Madonna has the part, right?’ Lopez recalls being told

Jennifer Lopez admitted she’d auditioned for Alan Parker’s Evita only to find out the lead role had gone to Madonna.

The 1996 film of the Broadway musical featured the queen of pop in the role of Eva Péron, First Lady to Argentina’s President Juan Péron, from 1946 until her death in July 1952.

The film would earn five Academy Award nominations as well as an Oscar for Best Song at the 1997 ceremony.

Lopez, 56, said that she auditioned for the role of Evita only to be told by Parker, “You’re amazing. You know Madonna has the part, right?”

“I had been practising for weeks,” said the pop singer and actress in a report from Variety.

Laughing it off, Lopez responded, “OK, bye-bye. Nice to meet you.”

Madonna in ‘Evita’ (1996) (Moviestore/Shutterstock)

Now, the “Jenny from the Block” singer is starring in Bill Condon’s remake of the 1976 novel, Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Set in 1981 during Argentina’s Dirty War, prisoner Luis Molina (Tonatiuh) fantasises about sharing a cell with actor Ingrid Luna (Lopez) to pass the days as he’s imprisoned with political activist Valentin Aregui (Diego Luna).

Upon Lopez’s casting, she learned Condon, who previously made musicals Chicago and Dreamgirls, had chosen to film scenes in one take, including its elaborate music performances.

“I was like, ‘F*** me! I better get it right then,’” said the actor.

“It was challenging. It was challenging in that way, time-wise, as independent films can be, right?” she added. “Halfway through the take, it’s going perfectly and then you trip on your dress or whatever, so it’s like, maybe we start over.”

Despite budget, time and prep being the primary constraints while filming, Lopez affirmed,

Jennifer Lopez stars alongside Tonatiuh in ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ (Roadside Attractions)

“We put our heart and soul into it and we rehearsed like crazy for the time that we had and it was a beautiful thing”

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Since Lopez’s first viewing of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, the Bronx native has openly expressed her interest in starring in a musical. Aside from being cut from Evita, the actress nearly starred in an NBC live production of Bye Bye Birdie, but the filming was scrapped.

“I’m living my childhood dreams,” Lopez shared.

Kiss of the Spider Woman arrives in cinemas 10 October 2025.