Jennifer Lopez Says She Wasn't Paid a Cent to Make 'Hustlers'

Despite the title of her summer box office hit, Jennifer Lopez is not all about the hustle. This week, the singer and actress revealed that she wasn’t actually paid upfront for her leading role—nor her producer credit—in the Lorene Scarfaria-directed film Hustlers. The film explores the true story of group of strippers who swindled Wall Street bankers out of thousands of dollars, and is based on a 2015 New York Magazine article. J.Lo starred in the film alongside Constance Wu, Cardi B, and Lizzo.

In an interview with GQ, the 50-year-old opened up the most memorable moments from her career to date, and why money wasn't the driving force behind her decision to be involved in the film.

"I didn’t get paid a whole bunch of money for Hustlers,' she told the publication. 'I did it for free and produced it. I bank on myself. Like Jenny From the Block — I do what I want, I do what I love."

When asked if she thinks she is similar to her character Ramona in the film, she said: "I’ve never been motivated by money. I’ve always been motivated by wanting to be a great singer, a great actor, a great dancer, I want to make movies, I want to make music. And the money came along with that."

During the interview, Lopez also discussed the secret to her relationship with fiancé Alex Rodriguez, explaining that they are both equally ambitious and focused on success.

"We're both super-hard workers," she said. "We're driven by our passions. And we have a tremendous amount of respect for each other. He wants me to be seen and to get what I deserve. Like, he's made his half a billion. And he's like, “I want you to have that”."

As a producer on Hustlers, it's likely that Lopez will have received dividends post-release; the film grossed an estimated $148.5 million worldwide. Either way, with an estimated net worth of over $400 million, Lopez can afford to put her passions ahead of the of the odd paycheck. Especially as she's now receiving Oscar buzz for her part in the hit film.

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