Celebrity
11 Celebs Who Turned Down J.Lo's This Is Me... Now
From Taylor Swift to Bad Bunny, many stars were asked to appear in the new film.
Jennifer Lopez’s new film, This Is Me... Now, features a wide and often chaotic array of guest stars, from Jane Fonda to Post Malone to Neil DeGrasse Tyson. But that cast almost looked very different.
As revealed in the film’s behind-the-scenes documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which premiered Feb. 27 on Prime Video, Lopez and her team approached many celebrities in hopes that they would appear in the movie.
Rather than shielding the casting process from public view like most artists would, J.Lo showed it all, going through the list of stars who said no, and openly talking about those who had concerns about the film. “I don’t want to force anybody to do this who doesn’t go, ‘This is gonna be fun,’” she said.
She even got candid about why she thought some of these celebrities turned her offer down. “Nobody wants to say no to me, Benny, I get that,” she said on the phone to her longtime manager, Benny Medina. “But when an actor doesn’t like a script or doesn’t think it’s good enough or is worried about it, that’s what they’ll say. I know that. I’ve done it.”
Eventually, J.Lo assembled a very diverse A-list cast, most of whom play zodiac signs on her imaginative Zodiac Council, including Sofia Vergara as Cancer and Trevor Noah as Leo.
However, here are the 11 celebrities mentioned in The Greatest Love Story Never Told who were asked to be in This Is Me... Now.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift was “a no,” presumably due to her ongoing Eras Tour. Swift previously performed with J.Lo on the Red Tour, bringing her out during one of the Los Angeles shows to sing “Jenny From the Block.”
Jason Momoa
The actor said he was “unavailable” for the film. While he’s never worked with J.Lo, the two do share a Zodiac sign, Leo, perhaps signifying that Leo was the role she wanted him to play.
Jennifer Coolidge
The White Lotus star was also “unavailable.” The two Jennifers previously worked together on Shotgun Wedding, where Coolidge played J.Lo’s hysterical future mother-in-law.
Lizzo
Lizzo was another artist who was “unavailable” for the film. J.Lo previously worked with the singer in her 2019 film Hustlers, which marked Lizzo’s live-action acting debut.
Vanessa Hudgens
J.Lo’s longtime producing partner, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, asked the team if they wanted Vanessa Hudgens, who starred alongside Lopez in the 2019 film Second Act, only to be told that she was also unavailable. “Oh, never mind,” she said.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande couldn’t participate in the film because “she’s in London until September,” where she was filming the upcoming Wicked movies. While the two haven’t worked with each other, they’re clearly mutual fans, as J.Lo posted a selfie with Grande in 2018, writing, “Love this little one.” Grande’s hit “thank u, next” is also briefly referenced in This Is Me... Now.
Snoop Dogg
The rapper was simply “not available, unfortunately.” While he and J.Lo have run in the same circles for years, the two have actually never worked together.
Khloé Kardashian
According to J.Lo, Khloé Kardashian was set to make an unknown cameo in the film before backing out. She even speculated about why Kardashian and other stars may have pulled out. “People are scared, scared to put themselves out there,” she told her choreographer. “I get it. It took me a long time. I’m scared. I don’t act like I’m scared, but that’s the secret to my whole f*cking career.”
Bad Bunny
At one point, J.Lo thought about having Bad Bunny appear, after collaborating with the rapper on her 2018 hit “Te Guste,” and sharing the Super Bowl Halftime stage with him in 2020. “It’d be good to get Bad Bunny to do a little cameo as the bad kid,” she said. However, it’s unknown whether he was offered the part and turned it down, or if J.Lo and her team simply moved on from the idea.
Anthony Ramos
Anthony Ramos was initially going to portray J.Lo’s abusive dance partner in the “Rebound” video, giving him a bigger part than most celebs in the film. However, he hesitated due to worries that the concept alluded to J.Lo’s ex-husband Marc Anthony, whom he’s friends with.
She attempted to assuage Ramos’ concerns on the phone, noting that Anthony is the father of her twins, Max and Emme. “I’m never going to do anything that’s going to really pinpoint him out,” she said. “What you’re playing is representative of many relationships, not one specific relationship.” Ramos still didn’t move forward, and dancer Gilbert Saldivar took the role.
SZA
While SZA was not mentioned by anyone in the film, a call sheet with the Zodiac Council’s cast and layout is seen onscreen, which shows the singer in the Scorpio position, but her name is scratched out. J.Lo’s Hustlers co-star Keke Palmer ended up playing Scorpio, meaning that SZA was likely set to appear in the film but had to drop out for unknown reasons.
