Jennifer Lopez scores a plum role in Chilean miner film: will she do it justice?

Chilean miners

Does it seem like it’s been over two-and-a-half years since the dramatic rescue of the 33 Chilean miners from a San Jose mine after they were trapped for 69 days? Time really does fly, and I still freshly recall watching the live feed of all of the miners emerging, one at a time, from the bowels of the Earth to feel fresh air on their faces and find themselves ensconced within the arms of Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. From the very beginning of the end of the day-long rescue, there have been buzzings of this tale being brought to life on the big screen. Now that day has arrived (or at least, the pre-production phase is happening), and Jennifer Lopez has been tapped as part of the ensemble cast.

Jennifer Lopez

Last week, Lopez revealed that she was circling a small indie flick, and now it’s emerged that she has signed on to appear in The 33, which will tell the (supposedly) true story of what happened during the more than two months that these miners were trapped. What role will JLo play in the movie? IMDb provides no clues, but it can’t be a huge role. Maybe she plays one of the miners’ wives … or maybe one of the mistresses. There was also a nurse who spoke to many of the miners while they were trapped, and she said she got hit on a lot. That seems like a decent role for JLo, but I question whether she has the gravitas to treat this subject matter with dignity. Here’s a bit of good news though — Antonio Banderas is starring in the movie:

Antonio Banderas

Jennifer Lopez has signed on to join Antonio Banderas in the Chilean miner film The 33.

Mike Medavoy is producing the drama, based on the true story of the 33 Chilean miners who were rescued after being trapped for 69 days in 2010.

The film will mark Lopez’s first big-screen role since starring opposite Jason Statham in this year’s action-thriller Parker.

Martin Sheen and Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro also have boarded the ensemble film, which was presented to foreign buyers at last month’s Cannes Film Festival. Good Universe is handling international sales.

Patricia Riggen (La Misma Luna) is directing from a screenplay written by Mikko Alanne and Jose Rivera, with production scheduled to begin in the fall in Chile.

In 2011, Medavoy nabbed the rights to the 33 miners, whose remarkable rescue from the San Jose Mine garnered headlines worldwide. The men were trapped half a mile beneath the Earth’s surface. Banderas is playing the role of Mario Sepulveda, the charismatic miner nicknamed “Super Mario.” Sheen will play a miner’s father, while Santoro is tackling the role of a trapped miner.

[From Hollywood Reporter]

Mmm, Rodrigo Santoro. Dude does have a nice booty (as did Antonio in his Original Sin days), and this film will surely have plenty of eye candy because you know they’ll handsome-up the miners a great deal, but I still can’t get over the casting of Jennifer Lopez in this movie. Surely, there are plenty of other Latina actresses (albeit unknown ones) with a lot more acting cred than JLo, but it could’ve been worse … say, if Eva Mendes were cast. Still, it really sounds like JLo signed onto this film to try and rebuild her acting career, which hasn’t been worth anything more than cheesy romcoms since the days of U Turn and Out of Sight. I wish her luck, but JLo would be better off releasing mediocture dance club tunes than attempting to be a “serious” actress on the backs of these miners.

Chilean miners

Chilean miners

Jennifer Lopez

Photos courtesy of WENN

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35 Responses to “Jennifer Lopez scores a plum role in Chilean miner film: will she do it justice?”

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  1. Eleonor says:

    Once upon a time JLO could act, in Selena she was great, and she was good with George Clooney in Out of sight. I don’t know what to think abou this.

  2. bammer says:

    She is not an actress. She’s only a celebrity at this point.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      So true. She is way too self aware on camera. She doesn’t immerse herself in roles, she poses.

      Anyone would have been better…

  3. neelyo says:

    Before Lopez became J. Lo she did have some acting ability. She was great in SELENA, OUT OF SIGHT and BLOOD AND WINE. She has a limited range but if the role is right for her, maybe she can do it.

  4. JoJo says:

    I think she’s a decent enough actress. Maybe not award-worthy but no worse than many others out there. I give her credit for pursuing what she wants and quitting Idol to do it. I think people don’t give her enough credit. She’s an entertainer – that’s all anyone is doing in this business. And she’s managed to maintain some level of credibility in both music and acting, so she’s doing something right, even if it mainly means she’s a good businesswoman.

    • deehunny says:

      this. i can’t help but like her. she was good in selena and the cell. you’re right, if she keeps getting roles she must be doing something right

  5. mkyarwood says:

    Uhhh, this sounds like a mess.

  6. Lucy2 says:

    I think it’s a wise move for her to make, but I’m disappointed they chose her. She hasn’t done a decent performance in years, and now I’m sure all of the publicity on the film will focus on her.

  7. Scarlet Vixen says:

    I hate to admit it but she does have her acting moments. She was in a film several years ago with Robert Redford called “An Unfinished Life” where she really surprised me and held her own. And there’s “Selena” of course. I think if the subject matter is right and it’s an ensemble she’ll manage.

  8. NM9005 says:

    Well, she can act. I wouldn’t be suprised if she delivers.

  9. epiphany says:

    I’m not a JLo fan, and I don’t think she’s a powerhouse talent by any stretch, but I do admit I’ve liked a few of her movies, and, given the right script and a director that can handle her, I think she could pull it off. In any case, I’d rather watch one of her films than listen to her sing or see her dance any day!

  10. serena says:

    Yay for Antonio Banderas, then I’ll be sure to watch this, LOL.

  11. Pao La says:

    One thing J Lo can do well is commit. I never heard of her being unprofessional, late to a show or a concert or non committed to something she agreed to. She might not be a good singer or a mediocre actress but she is a pro and she act like one. I think that this movie might be the right one for her, it’ll be mainly portraied by actors and actresses of latin descent so i think she’ll fit well and i’m sure she’ll do good. I’m not a fan of JLo but i have to admit that she at least doesn’t overshare her life on social media and takes her job very seriously. I’m so sick of all the Rihanna, miley Cirus, Lindsay lohan,kim kardashian… JLo might be as talented as them ( very little) but for me she wins because you can tell she has respect for the industry and the people working in it.

    • lucy2 says:

      This is true – I do think she is a very hard worker, and ambitious in making a career for herself.
      But I do think she takes herself too seriously.

    • lrm says:

      I totally agree with you.
      She is similar to Madonna in this respect. Works hard, focused, determined. And I never hear or see J Lo talking smack about others, in interviews, for attention from the media, to promote an album, etc.[unlike Madonna, ahem]. For this J Lo earns my respect, too. She’s driven and does not seem to stoop to low levels to get there. [I have not heard much about her, aside from her fake singing and issues with marriages.] In interviews, she’s diplomatic and likeable. And i think she’s aging well so far and is gorgeous. I prefer her to mariah carey, as far as personality and having to deal with a diva presence. J Lo does not grate me nearly as much. And I could care less if mariah ‘could once sing well’. she’s still in your face annoying these days, to me

  12. MsGoblin says:

    I’m so tired of her open-mouthed, squinty-eyed pose. It’s all she ever does. You just know she’s practiced this for hours in the mirror.

  13. bluhare says:

    DISCLAIMER: I can’t stand her.

    No, I don’t think she can do it justice. Yes, she could act in the days of Selena, but she’s Jennifer Lopez Superstar Diva now, and she’s not at all the same.

  14. Raised Brow says:

    I’d watch if Gael Garcia Bernal was in it. I’d watch him in ANYthing.

  15. danielle says:

    Think going with a smaller role that requires actual acting is a surprisingly smart move for Lopez.

  16. Susie Q says:

    Zzzzzzzzzzz, the movie sounds like a snooze fest, she’ll fit right in.

  17. Faye says:

    I agree. She had talent once, but I think she was slightly humbler and more open to direction then. Now she’s so into being “J-Lo” 24/7 I’m not convinced she can stop.

  18. TheOneAndOnly says:

    There must be dozens of latin actresses that are more deserving than this narcissistic diva; I finally dismissed her when she said she was her own everyday hero in an interview last year. WHo says things like that?

  19. Bridget says:

    Jennifer really, really wants to at least be nominated for an Oscar. Remember when she thought she should have been for that biopic she did with Marc Anthony?

    • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

      Ugh, I remember. Especially, as if you watch the trailer, the movie is about HIM…she plays the girlfriend, and is shaking her butt for half the trailer…she didn’t look or sound different at all from “Jlo”.

      I think she’ll be playing as the “sexy girlfriend/nurse” in this movie.

  20. Nerd Alert says:

    I’ll keep my mind open on this one. I might be crazy but I think her acting skills FAR outweigh her singing skills. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me, so shrill. That said, she’s no Meryl Streep, either. We’ll see.

  21. Myrto says:

    That movie sounds like a mess anyway, but a Spanish guy and an American-born actress of Portorican descent to play Chilean people? They’re all the same, anyway, right?
    And of course the whole movie will be in English. Of course. Ugh.

    • TheOneAndOnly says:

      Good points – why not hire south american actors/actresses? They surely must be as good as Jlo and certainly won’t cost as much.

  22. just me says:

    I think she’s a decent actress with a fairly wide range…LOVED her in Monster-in-law but she was also pretty good with the serious role in Out of Sight.

  23. Happy21 says:

    She can’t act and she can’t sing but she brings the audience. Unfortunately, I think this movie which will be serious and dramatic is not the place for her to try to make an acting come back. I just can’t see it.

    And I thought she could act in Selena too until I watched it on TV about a month ago and found her acting painful to watch.

  24. lrm says:

    I like her in every film I’ve seen her in-even the cheesy rom coms. I like her a lot as an actress. She is superior to many of the actresses working today, IMO [that’s not saying much, I know,, with so many low caliber talents on screen]. I like her better than kate hudson, that’s for sure. And at times, she can out act scarjo, who is so inconsistent and sometimes embarrassing in her roles. I put J Lo leaps and bounds above Biel, Alba, etc.
    I think she’ll do it justice.
    I never understand when critics say all they say is diva j lo on screen. I find her characters believable.

    • Bijlee says:

      I agree!!! Practically every film I’ve seen her in I’ve liked her and actually do find her believable or passable in most of them. My guilty pleasure is Enough. And I liked her in that horrendous What to Expect When You’re Expecting film too (Yes, I was bored). Her scenes were touching. She’s not the greatest actress, but she’s decent. She’s a better actress than singer, that is for sure.

  25. Gigohead says:

    I did enjoy that subplot of the guy with the mistress! What a scandal! JLo can pull from experience!

  26. kim says:

    just posting bc there was only 33posts and felt bad for this dumbA who refuses to make eye contact with “normal” ppl or talks to service workers. I figure by adding another number to the post count would allow her some sort of justification since her talent doesn’t.

  27. Beatriz says:

    Ugh, as a chilean, this just sounds like a mess. The cast just seems too “Hollywood” to pull this off. The casting of J.lo just cements this for me.