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I’ve often said that if a woman had Channing Tatum’s stripper backstory, there is no way she would have been able to parlay that experience into a legitimate Hollywood career. But then Cardi turned up and now… maybe it’s happening. Cardi is very open about her stripper past and how much she’s hustled to get where she is now, one of the biggest recording artists of the past five years, a Grammy-winner and a beloved “personality.” And now Cardi is going to transition into acting. In a movie about strippers who hustle rich men. YAS.

STX is pulling together an intriguing cast for upcoming movie Hustlers, we can reveal. Joining Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians) will be music star Cardi B in her feature debut, Lili Reinhart (Riverdale), Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Julia Stiles (Silver Linings Playbook) and Oscar-winner Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King). Trace Lysette (Transparent) and Mette Towley (Cats) are in negotiations to join.

Writer-director Lorene Scafaria’s (The Meddler) movie, inspired by a 2016 New York Magazine article, follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. The film marks the feature debut of Grammy winner Cardi B, who has previously discussed working as a stripper before becoming a singer. The rapper also collaborated with Jennifer Lopez last year on song Dinero.

[From Deadline]

I forgot that Cardi and J.Lo know each other and have worked together before. I wonder if Jennifer had a hand in this casting decision, because it’s brilliant. I love the cast entirely too – it will be like the stripper version of Ocean’s Eight, hopefully. I expect Cardi to be a scene-stealer too – she’s already been a reality star, she knows what she has to do to shine. Also: Constance Wu!!!! OMG. And Lili Reinhart! Keke Palmer! JULIA STILES.

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Photos courtesy of Getty and Backgrid.