Tonight on TV: Jennifer Lopez Had a Nervous Breakdown While Filming This Film About Domestic Violence

never again : a fairy tale that turns into a nightmare

While chaining musical hits, Jennifer Lopez at the same time she has built a rather solid career in cinema, being directed by big names in the seventh art (Francis Ford Coppola, Oliver Stone, Steven Soderbergh). It was especially in the 2000s that we could see her in a variety of genres, between comedy and drama. In the lot there was never again (2002) by Michael Apted, based on the novel Black and Blue (1998) by Anna Quindlen. The story follows Slim, a woman struggling to make ends meet. Her life changes when she meets Mitch (Billy Campbell), a wealthy businessman who soon marries her.

Years later, she is happy, with her daughter and a loving husband. But Slim’s fairy tale turns into a nightmare when Mitch reveals his true nature. That ofa violent manmanipulative and dangerous. Despite the physical and psychological abuse she will suffer, Slim manages to escape with her daughter, but her husband will continue to molest her. To face him, she will train in self-defense and combat techniques.

Upon his release, never again was not well received by the press and only grossed $52 million worldwide. The feature film, however, remained in the public’s mind thanks to numerous television rebroadcasts. But above all, the film can be revalued today with its very current themes.

A major topic and a breakdown for Jennifer Lopez

Indeed, never again milking domestic violence and the struggle for survival. Although this violence has unfortunately always existed, today it is talked about more and more and in the spotlight. The too many forms of violence against women, both rape (the Mazan trial that makes the news) or feminicides, provoke a reaction. As in 2023, in Italy, with the murder of Giulia Cecchettin which gave rise to demonstrations in the country. And the film There is still tomorrow which also depicts domestic violence and was a huge success.

An important theme therefore, brought forward by Jennifer Lopez, who had to prepare herself physically for this role by training three months of Krav Maga. But above all the actress suffered psychologically during the filming of Never Again, because of the emotional impact of the story on her and what she was able to personally experience. This is what she explained EOnline in 2002:

It’s definitely been an emotional rollercoaster for me during this time. We carry it with us. It’s hard not to.

Jennifer Lopez later went further by admitting that she had done so Everyday Beast in 2008 having done burnout during filming From never again. She then asked the director to let her take a break. Only, once in front of a doctor, the best remedy for her was to return to work as quickly as possible.

It was about 5:00 PM in my trailer and I sat there. I remember telling my assistant at the time to go get director Michael Apted and asking him if I could come home because I felt so weird and sick. I kept saying, “I’m not weak, I’m not weak.” (…) Then the doctor told me to go back to work on Monday after a weekend of sleep because if I waited any longer I would just panic and work harder. So that’s what I did.

Source: Cine Serie

Ray

Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.