Is there anybody who doesn’t know the name Jennifer Lopez? I don’t think so. Barely 30, the Latin beauty is already a superstar. She is one of the few who are equally successful on the big screen and in the music business. Maybe one of the reasons why she is so successful is the fact that she’s absolutely reliable, professional and keeps herself pretty well in check.
      Jennifer Lopez confesses that for every part she plays in a movie she does her own research and tries to get the feel of the story. For her latest movie, The Cell, she even worked with a shrink. "I’m playing a psychologist and I didn’t know much about how they work and what their day to day life is like," she says. "I didn’t want to rely just on the script, so I found one; I looked for a therapist and asked if I could learn from her, learn how she interacts with her patients, how she treats them, all that. I just didn’t want to work based on stereotypes, you know, present a psychologist like I imagine one is or how I’ve seen other actors and actresses play one.
      "It was quite an eye-opener. I can honestly say I learned a lot from her, not just for the movie but also for myself. For example, your own perspective is often not the right one and it isn’t necessary that you understand every little thing. Too often, trying to figure out everything is what messes things up. If it works for you, enjoy it and don’t try to overanalyze it."
      She enjoys her enormous success, but for her it’s not everything. Jennifer dreams of a family, marriage, the whole works. "Oh, I definitely want a family and kids, a marriage too, of course," she says. "I think I’m rather old-fashioned when it comes to that. I want to have a family. I can’t see myself as a single mother. Of course, if somehow I should be a single mother I’d give it my best shot, but if I have the choice I’d rather raise children the traditional way in a family."
      But that tradition—raising the family with the mother at home—doesn’t seem to appeal too much to her. "Come on, we’re living in modern times," she says. "It is possible to have a career and raise children and be a good mother. I mean, look at Madonna—she manages a career and two children, she showed it’s possible. I think Madonna showed a lot of things are possible for women now and she was one of my inspirations."
      She sounds almost wistful and dreamy, talking about her future family; quite strange for a girl whose dreams seem to have come true. Did she ever dare to dream she would enjoy such an enormous success?
      "Of course I had dreams, every little girl has them, but I never thought it would happen," she admits. "It was a pretty long way and it wasn’t always easy. I started dancing when I was 5 years of age. At 17, I wanted to have a career as a dancer and my parents were furious. We had a big fight and I moved out. It was strange; in a way they were always so encouraging and helpful when it came to my artistic abilities, but when I wanted to be a dancer, they freaked; that was too much for them. Of course, now they think differently about it! I think when I saw Rita Moreno in West Side Story my fate was sealed. I knew I wanted to be a dancer. I knew I needed to be a dancer. She’s a Latina and she sang and danced. I was mesmerized!"
      It seems hard to believe that the woman who’s so relaxed and laid back is rumored to be quite a diva and extremely difficult. Ms. Lopez just laughs it off.
      "Oh yes, there is the rumor that I grew up in the slums. That’s rubbish. I grew up in the Bronx, that’s true, but the Bronx are not the slums. My parents were not dirt poor. Mom was a teacher and my father was a computer programmer. We were quite well off and I was well looked after. I grew up as a good Catholic girl.
      "Let me see, there are a couple of other rumors. That I steal bed linen in hotels—that's an outrageous lie. What would I do with bed linen that has the hotel name on them? And I can assure you I have enough bed covers of my own. I thought the most hilarious rumor was that I had my body insured for a million dollars. A big paper in New York had it as a headline, I think. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or find it sick. Well, it’s not true, but I kept the magazine and I think I’m going to show it to my children and grandchildren one day. My friends laugh about it and tell me if they find something really outrageous, of course they know me well enough to know it’s not true!"
      Considering Miss Lopez’s amazing figure, of course the questions come up about how she keeps in such an excellent shape and if she’s on a strict diet. "Not really," she says. "I don't have anything banned from my diet and I’m not one of the health freaks who believe in not eating any sugar or leaving dairy products out. There are a number of weird diets out there but I don’t follow them. I eat almost everything, only in moderation. Maybe I’m lucky; when I overeat I just get seriously sick, the next day is absolutely ruined, and with my busy schedule I just can’t afford it. Apart from the fact that it’s not really pleasant to feel sick because you stuffed yourself the day before, I never went on a diet. I always lived quite healthy without a special diet and it seems enough for me. I believe in having a really well-balanced diet, a little bit of everything, and I think if you’re fit and healthy, your body will let you know what it needs. It’s just that a lot of people have forgotten how to listen to it."
      But she draws one very strict line. "I don’t drink, never, and I don’t smoke and don’t do drugs," she stresses. "I never started drinking or smoking. When I was little, my mother drummed it into me how bad it is for you and it stuck somehow. My little sister also doesn’t drink or smoke. Everybody knows smoking is bad for you, and drinking [is bad] as well. I don’t need to drink to have a good time."
      Being a sex symbol seems to be a pretty hard job, so one would imagine that once she’s at home and out of the public eye, Jennifer Lopez would be glad to drop all that image and just be herself, hanging out in jeans and sweaters. "I love looking sexy," she says. "I think every woman wants to look as sexy as possible. It’s such a feminine thing to want to look pretty, to be sexy, to look feminine and seductive. Of course I wear jeans and sweaters sometimes, but in general I really do prefer dresses and skirts."
      One would think that being a "superstar" makes it hard to maintain perspective and avoid burning out on the lifestyle. These aren’t risks for Jennifer. "I’m still the same person I was before," she says. "I realized it after my first big movie. I sat down and thought, What’s going to happen now? How will I react? And I decided I’m the same girl I was before. I like myself and want to stay the way I am. Just because I’m an actress and I work in the music business doesn’t change who I am. My workplaces might be different, but I’m not too different from other people."