A number of movie musicals have won Best Picture over the years, and including some that came from director/screenriter Bill Condon. The writer of Chicago once again brought a musical to the big screen with Kiss of the Spider Woman, which earned Jennifer Lopez a standing ovation at Sundance. And her co-stars Diego Luna and Tonatiuh recently spoke to CinemaBlend about how she helped the cast on set.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez helped to bring this project to life, as producer and star respectively. But the “Get Right” singer also helped to support her fellow actors before shooting Kiss of the Spider Woman‘s musical numbers. As you can see in the video above, I had the chance to speak with the great Diego Luna about working with JLo, and he told me:
She said something that very important to me. I mean, she said many things. She was very generous, and she helped me through the whole process. But one day she said like ‘When you dance, it shows what you’re feeling. There’s no way to hide it. So enjoy it. Have fun. Because it comes across. People can see it.’
Honestly, that’s some great advice. As a global pop star, Lopez knows a thing or two about dancing in front of people. She seems to think that in order for the audience to enjoy the performance, you have to be having fun yourself. Clearly that bit of advice stuck with Luna.
Following his tenure on Andor (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription), Luna is once again playing a revolutionary standing against an authoritarian government in Kiss of the Spider Woman. But this time he’s also got to sing and dance with a modern day diva like JLo. In our conversation, the 45 year-old actor went on to share how her advice guided him, sharing:
And that day I relaxed. I was like yeah, it’s about enjoying and I’m sure it will get there. It was about working really hard and being patient. And on the day I was ready[…] It was about her generosity and the beautiful lead she is when she’s working. She shows everyone the rigor that is needed. The tenacity that is needed.
That rigor is definitely on full display in Kiss of the Spider Woman, with Jennifer Lopez using all of her talents as a global pop star and actress. It’s no wonder that her performance has gotten so much praise and chatter about Awards Season recognition.
Vida actor Tonatiuh takes center stage in this movie musical as Molina, the protagonist of Kiss of the Spider Woman. He was paired with some huge names with Diego Luna and JLo. In our interview, he shared his first reaction to this daunting dream job, telling me:
When I got the news that I got cast it was one of those moments where I was like ‘Am I about to go to The Olympics?’ Do you know what I’m saying? Because Jennifer is one of the world’s most incredible performers. She has a decades-long career of entertainment, of transformative work.
He’s not wrong. Jennifer Lopez has countless hit movies and songs, so getting the chance to work with an icon of her stature must have been a trip of Tonatiuh. Not only were they going to work together, but he was doing to sing and dance with the iconic superstar. No pressure.
But rather than letting these stakes get to him, the Promised Land actor seems to have cherished his time working with such established movie stars. In his words:
So to be able to jump in there with her and Diego, who also has been in it since he was a teenager. And to live in a Bill Condon world, it just felt like ‘Finally I get to jump in there and be with the greats.’
Having seen Kiss of the Spider Woman, I can report that Tonatiuh absolutely rose to the occasion and gave a stunning performance as Molina. It’s one that will stick with me for sure, and there was no one hint of nerves as he worked alongside JLo and Diego Luna.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is in theaters now as part of the 2025 movie release list. I thought Bill Condon crushed it again, and am really hoping that the movie gets its flowers during various Awards Ceremonies… possibly competing with fellow musical Wicked: For Good.