Jennifer Lopez’s highly anticipated project, “This Is Me… Now,” fell short of securing all the A-list talent she desired. In “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” a documentary chronicling the making of the musical venture, Lopez disclosed that Anthony Ramos nearly joined the project.
[adinserter name="One"]During a rehearsal conversation with wardrobe supervisor Shawn “Beezy” Barton, Lopez shared, “Anthony Ramos was supposed to be part of this. The guy from In the Heights. He was set to perform the ‘Rebound’ number with me… And then he mentioned, ‘Ah, I’m friends with Marc.'”
[adinserter name="Two"]Marc refers to Lopez’s ex-husband, Marc Anthony, with whom she shares 16-year-old twins, Max and Emme.
The documentary then shows Lopez calling Ramos and expressing, “I had no idea you and Marc were close friends. That’s nice to know.”
[adinserter name="Three"]Lopez reassured Ramos that while the song explores the grim reality of abusive relationships, Anthony remains “the father of my kids, obviously. I wouldn’t do anything to single him out.”
However, Lopez admitted that the musical experience “has a very meta quality.”
[adinserter name="Four"]“It encapsulates the 20-year journey between my last album and this one,” she explained to Ramos. “A lot has happened. There were numerous relationships I’ve been in. What you’re portraying represents many relationships, not just one.”
During another rehearsal, Lopez informed Beezy that, as she clarified to Ramos, she doesn’t even portray herself in the musical experience.
[adinserter name="Five"]Lopez recounted Ramos’s response, saying, “Yeah, I just feel like people might interpret it that way… you know how the media is.” To this, Lopez replied, “But if we let the media dictate our art, what’s the point?”
[adinserter name="Six"]Ramos wasn’t the only star to decline participation. The documentary reveals that Taylor Swift rejected the opportunity, while Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg, and others were unavailable.
At one point, Lopez mentioned to choreographer Sienna Lalau that she had envisioned Khloe Kardashian for a role, but the reality star chose not to participate for reasons unknown.
[adinserter name="Seven"]“People are scared, scared to be vulnerable,” Lopez remarked. “I understand. It took me a long time. I’m scared too. I just don’t show it. That’s the key to my entire career.”
[adinserter name="Eight"]Despite rejections, numerous stars did make appearances, including Jane Fonda and Derek Hough, who were initially uncertain about participating. Trevor Noah, Kim Petras, Keke Palmer, Post Malone, Sofia Vergara, Jay Shetty, Jenifer Lewis, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sadhguru, and Fat Joe also made cameos in the musical experience.
