Jennifer Lopez Celebrated the 24th Anniversary of 'Selena' With a Moving Message

• Jennifer Lopez celebrated the 24th anniversary of Selena (opens in new tab) on Instagram Sunday.
• The biopic of Tejano legend Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (opens in new tab) remains one of Lopez's most iconic roles.
• "I can’t believe it’s been 24 years since the release of Selena. I’m so proud of this movie!!! So proud to be a small part of Selena’s amazing legacy," J.Lo wrote.

The role of Tejano legend Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in the 1997 biopic Selena remains one of Jennifer Lopez's most iconic, so it makes sense that Lopez regularly commemorates the anniversary of the movie's release. Sunday, March 21, marked 24 years since the movie—and J.Lo's star-making performance—first hit cinemas, and Lopez celebrated the occasion with a moving series of posts on Instagram.

Lopez shared three clips from Selena, in which she sings "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom," (opens in new tab) "I Could Fall In Love," (opens in new tab) and the disco medley Selena performed at the Houston Astrodome in 1995. Captioning a clip of the movie's Astrodome scene (opens in new tab), Lopez wrote, "I can’t believe it’s been 24 years since the release of Selena. I’m so proud of this movie!!! So proud to be a small part of Selena’s amazing legacy."

J.Lo reflected on the hard work she put in to play Selena, writing, "When I was preparing for the role, I studied her tirelessly, her every step, her finger movements, her lips ... her infectious laugh...her expressions."

"Once it was time to be her in the movie and we were filming the big Houston Astrodome scene I did the first take and after it Edward James Olmos who played Selenas father, an amazing and powerful actor came to me and said, 'you’ve done your homework, now just let it go...just let everything go...' so I did and just did my thing... the rest is what you see in the movie!!"

Selena was posthumously honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at last week's Grammys, though some fans were frustrated by the absence of a Selena tribute at the ceremony, as the Los Angeles Times reports (opens in new tab). Speaking to People (opens in new tab) ahead of the awards show, Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, reflected on her legacy. "Selena's life was cut short, but her fans have carried her throughout the years and her legacy is being passed on from generation to generation," Quintanilla said. "That in itself is incredible."