What Black Men Can Learn From Jennifer Lopez Trying To #METOO Wesley Snipes

What Black Men Can Learn From Jennifer Lopez Trying To #METOO Wesley Snipes

Lopez revealed she wishes she would’ve fought for the right to keep her clothes on during the scene. Throughout her career, Jennifer Lopez has starred in tons of movies from Hustlers and The Boy Next Door to Selena and Maid in Manhattan. Long before she was a household name, though, the “On The Floor” singer admits that she struggled to use her voice and defend herself on film sets at times, particularly when filming Money Train. The 1995 action/comedy tells the story of a vengeful New York transit cop who has plans to rob a high-tech train containing an abundance of money. Lopez played the role of Grace Santiago, alongside Woody Harrelson who starred as Charlie, and Wesley Snipes as John. At the time, the mother of two was just 25 years old, and didn’t have a ton of acting experience. She and Snipes had to film a love scene as a part of Money Train, which Lopez has described as “horrible.” “When you first start working professionally, you push the boundaries of what you should and shouldn't do, and I didn't think I had the right to say no, like, 'No, I'm not doing this, and that's it...' So we did it and it was tough,” she explained. “Wesley was wonderful about it in the sense that he was like, 'What's gonna make you more comfortable?' and I was like, 'Bring music, play it loud.'" According to Lopez, both of her male co-stars hit on her often, although Harrelson took a more comedic approach than Snipes. “Wesley–even though I had a boyfriend at the time–went full court press. He was flirting with me–you always flirt with your costars, it’s harmless–then he just started getting a little more serious,” the New York native shared during a 1998 interview with Movieline. “He would invite us all out together and then at the end of the night, he’d drop me off last and try to kiss me. I’d be like, ‘Wesley, please, I’m not interested in you like that.’ He got really upset about it.”

Oshay Duke Jackson