LOS ANGELES, USA \u2013 Jennifer Lopez <\/strong>and Tonatiuh<\/strong> (remember his name) are stars reborn and born, respectively, in\u00a0Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bill Condon<\/strong>\u2019s 2025 adaptation of Manuel Puig<\/strong>\u2019s novel and Terrence McNally<\/strong>\u2019s stage musical.<\/p>\n Set in 1983, when Argentina was under a brutal military dictatorship, this latest\u00a0Kiss of the Spider Woman\u00a0iteration, as directed by Bill, harks back more to Manuel\u2019s novel, reflecting 1970s Latin America coping with societal and political oppression and Terrence\u2019s Tony Award-winning musical with composers John Kander<\/strong> and Fred Ebb.<\/p>\n With an all-Latin cast, this production veers from the 1985 film version, which starred the late Willian Hurt<\/strong> in the top role of Molina. This time, Tonatiuh, the son of Mexican immigrant parents, plays the gay window dresser imprisoned for his sexuality, with star-making aplomb.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPlay Video<\/span><\/p>\n \t Tapping both Manuel\u2019s book and Terrence\u2019s musical, this film retells the story of Molina, thrown into a prison cell with Valentin, a Marxist rebel (Diego Luna<\/strong>, equally good), and tries to survive the brutality by retreating into fantasy and reveries of his favorite movie,\u00a0Kiss of the Spider Woman.<\/p>\n With Valentin as his initially reluctant listener, Molina reenacts the Technicolor melodrama starring glamorous movie femme fatale Ingrid Luna (Jennifer) as a woman trying to escape from a deadly mythical predator, the titular Spider Woman (also Jennifer), whose kiss is fatal to anyone. The two men slowly bond and find solace in each other amid the prison harshness and cruelty.<\/p>\n Ingrid Luna and Spider Woman, both dazzling figures, are roles that Jennifer was born to play and perform very well. It\u2019s almost unthinkable that this is only J.Lo\u2019s first screen musical. In the movie-within-a-movie, Jennifer also plays Aurora with Tonatiuh (Kendall Nesbitt) and Diego (Armando).<\/p>\n \u201cI looked forward to doing it because I thought this was an opportunity for me to do something I had never done. I\u2019ve never gotten an opportunity to be in a movie musical,\u201d Jennifer said to Rappler in an in-person video interview with both the actress and Tonatiuh at The London Hotel in West Hollywood.<\/p>\n Other quotes in this piece came from a press conference with Jennifer, Tonatiuh, and Bill, also at The London. Diego could not join because he was filming.<\/p>\n \u201cI love the subject matter,\u201d Jennifer added. \u201cI love the statements that it makes. I love the idea of working with Bill Condon. There were a lot of different things, but more than anything, it was just like a dream come true to be able to do a movie musical for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI get asked this every day.\u00a0And I never get upset, so please ask me a million times,\u201d Tonatiuh answered with a smile when asked how to pronounce his name. \u201cTow-nuh-tyu,\u201d offered the 30-year-old whose last name is\u00a0Elizarraraz.<\/p>\n Many years from now,\u00a0Kiss\u2026\u00a0will be remembered as the movie that made people sit up and take notice of the actor who grew up in West Covina, an LA suburb where many Filipino immigrants live. Of course, he has Filipino friends, loves Pinoy food, and knows a few choice Tagalog words, Tonatiuh told Rappler.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re from West Covina, you can call me \u2018Tow-nay-sha,\u2019 \u201dquipped the University of Southern California alumnus, who is simply called Tona by Jennifer and Bill.<\/p>\n Bill, the director of such acclaimed musicals as\u00a0Chicago\u00a0and\u00a0Dreamgirls, shared how they cast Tonatiuh in his biggest film role. \u201cI did something really smart \u2014 I pressed play on a self-tape that Tona sent in,\u201d the Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated filmmaker said with a laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cWe went through a huge process and put Tona through the paces.\u00a0Four different auditions.\u00a0The final one with Diego. But I have to say, I had that feeling from the minute I saw his self-tape.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust everything that you see on screen now is there in him. Just this incredible talent and openness, and that beautiful, expressive face. So, Tona was the one who cast himself, at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Ironically, Bill and his team searched for their Molina in Mexico, Central and South America, Spain, Buenos Aires, Uruguay, and the US, only to find Tonatiuh right in LA.<\/p>\n Tonatiuh, whose Molina wins over the cynical rebel Valentin with his enthusiasm and tenderness, has always dreamed of acting in a musical. \u201cWhen I was applying to schools to study acting, my mom took me to San Francisco for an audition.\u00a0Wicked\u00a0had come up. I begged her to get me tickets to go and see it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI remember seeing the wizard singing\u00a0Wonderful. I remember thinking, this man is in his 50s, 60s, just dancing and singing his ass off. I want that life.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cLike, think of where he traveled, who he got to meet, what he got to do, and all the joy that he got to bring to the world.\u00a0I was like, my God.\u00a0That is the power of musical theater. What\u2019s very unique to musical theater is the joy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is the most dynamic opportunity that I\u2019ve ever had. I\u2019ve always had a secret wish to be in a musical. If you ever are driving in Los Angeles and you see me in my car, I am belting songs. So to get the opportunity to not just tell such a great story, but to play multiple characters within it is the gift of a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n For Bill and Tonatiuh, who are both openly gay, and Jennifer, the film\u2019s nuanced queer representation was another powerful reason to make the film. \u201cIt\u2019s important because it\u2019s more relevant than ever,\u201d stressed the actress. \u201cThe idea of a trans or gay character in this movie.\u00a0The idea of two people loving each other.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe kind of divisiveness that we\u2019ve experienced in the world in the past few years.\u00a0Just a story about two people (Molina and Valentin) who are thrown together, who are so opposite, who are so different from each other, who would probably never even find themselves in the same circles.\u201d<\/p>\n Jennifer added about the film where Bill consulted the LGBTQ+ community to ensure Molina is a humanized figure, \u201cAnd find the humanity and fall in love with each other. I think that is more relevant than ever. It\u2019s really important to have queer representation in movies.\u201d<\/p>\n The film makes a stand for Latin representation as well. \u201cIn my own family, I know how important that is for people to see that,\u201d Jennifer remarked. \u201cIn the same way, I needed to see Rita Moreno in\u00a0West Side Story.\u00a0Just because she was Puerto Rican. That mattered to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt changed the course of my life.\u00a0It made me realize I could do things that nobody in my family had ever thought to do.\u201d<\/p>\n She revealed, \u201cBill was very adamant about everybody being Latino in the cast.\u00a0And the other iterations of this (Kiss\u2026) didn\u2019t have that.\u00a0Even though it took place where it did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like that is a really important thing.\u00a0And to see that, and to feel it.\u00a0And for it to still feel universal.\u00a0Any character, anybody can relate to it.\u201d<\/p>\n At a time when many gay rights activists view the Trump administration as hostile to their community, citing the sustained attacks on transgender people, among other issues, Tonatiuh said, \u201cThere\u2019s a certain moment that\u2019s happening right now that we need to remind ourselves that dignity, humanity, and love transcend gender.\u00a0They transcend sexual orientation.\u00a0They transcend all of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we deal with queer themes in our film, but I do think that it is a love letter to diversity.\u00a0It is a love letter to just humanity as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n On the diversity appeal of\u00a0Kiss\u2026, the actor pointed out, \u201cAnd on a business standpoint, though, it really is just fascinating to remind everyone that casting Latin talent is incredible.\u00a0Like, we sell, babe.\u00a0We\u2019re hot.\u00a0And people seem to forget.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAndor\u00a0(which starred Diego) was a success. I think Hollywood is sometimes a little trepidatious about casting an all-Latin cast.\u201d<\/p>\n Elaborating on his Molina, where he avoids stereotypes and instead plays him with complexity and vulnerability, Tonatiuh shared, \u201cIt was such a beautiful script. Molina was a character that I could really sink my teeth into and allow myself to fully lose myself in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI lost 45 pounds for the job.\u201d He quipped with a laugh, \u201cI was joking with Jennifer.\u00a0\u00a0I was like, \u2018Girl, I\u2019m trying to get to that waist.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love being able to transform. I love allowing my body and my essence to be used to help create progress and love.\u00a0Culture changes much faster than politics, and by casting me, we are making a statement.\u201d<\/p>\n On his character\u2019s relationship with Valentin, which in this version is depicted as a true love story and not a transactional one, Tonatiuh said, \u201cMolina, his passion for movies and his relationship with Valentin, is such a necessary story.\u00a0And it is becoming more and more relevant. That\u2019s the power of cinema and that\u2019s what drove me to sign on to the project and to shed the pounds (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n Bill explained, \u201cI wrote this three years ago. And it was because I loved every version of this, and each one of them was revolutionary for its time.\u00a0But when you read that novel, it\u2019s taken us this long to really catch up to what that novel was saying.\u201d<\/p>\n Citing the 2024 US presidential election that declared Trump as the winner, Bill commented, \u201cSpecifically, this was well before the election season and well before we knew what was going to happen.\u00a0But it was clear that trans people were going to be demonized, that they were going to be a part of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t clear at that point that there might be tanks, troops on the street.\u00a0That we didn\u2019t know.\u00a0\u00a0But it did feel that this was something that was bubbling up and happening.\u00a0So that\u2019s what made it feel very urgent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe revolution that you\u2019re saying that we need right now is exactly the reason why the movie is so important for people to see,\u201d Jennifer chimed in. \u201cBecause it reminds you that at the end of the day, it\u2019s about two people getting along and falling in love when you really forget about all of the other things, that we\u2019re all just human.\u00a0And it is about humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJennifer said it but I just want to repeat it,\u201d Bill emphasized. \u201cIn this movie, these two men who could not be different in every single way, everything is stripped away from them in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo all of this stuff, the politics, class, education, go away, and they just start to see themselves as individuals. I do think that is the bit of hope, the ray of light in this movie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll also stress that, like we constantly see in the news, we see everything that\u2019s going around and we wonder, what is it that I can do? I\u2019m just one person,\u201d Tonatiuh said. \u201cBut that mentality is the thing that gets us here.\u00a0Every one of us has little actions to take.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd especially in a moment when Latinos in general in this country are experiencing massive negative PR, just attack after attack, it\u2019s really wonderful to showcase what Latino dignity is and remind people of the talent, the joy that our culture adds to the United States and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n While Bill based his adaptation on the novel and musical, he acknowledged the 1985 film directed by Hector Babenco<\/strong> that starred William Hurt<\/strong> (who won the Oscar Best Actor for his performance) and Raul Julia<\/strong>, both sadly no longer with us, and Sonia Braga<\/strong> as \u201cabsolutely an inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat movie meant so much to me as a young gay man.\u00a0To see William Hurt at the height of his popularity take on that role was extraordinary.\u00a0It was so rare.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s not so much the musical.\u00a0I didn\u2019t base it much on the musical.\u00a0It\u2019s really the novel. I do feel that the novel and that film are quite different.\u00a0And as an example, again, this is something that\u2019s groundbreaking in 1985, the fact that they got that movie made.\u201d<\/p>\n He explained, \u201cBut what the audience maybe demanded there and also in the Broadway production is that the relationship between the two men have a more transactional aspect, that in both cases, as opposed to the novel, Valentin only sleeps with Molina when he knows he\u2019s getting out and that he can manipulate him into giving information. And that\u2019s an example of something I perfectly understand why that was necessary then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it was one of the reasons why being truer to the novel, as I said, I think we\u2019ve caught up to what Puig was writing about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did see the film,\u201d Tonatiuh replied when asked. \u201cAnd, echoing what Bill said, both films are showcasing what is needed for the time.\u00a0And it fostered a level of dialogue within the queer community and with the community at large.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt showcases where we are and how our understanding has shifted. And it\u2019s really interesting when older audiences look at this film versus, let\u2019s say when Gen Z looks at this film.\u00a0Our understanding of what gender, sexuality, sexual orientation as a culture, as a community has shifted so much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so one of the challenges was like, how do we pay homage to the original film without being anachronistic?\u201d the actor asked aloud.\u00a0\u201cAnd how do we absorb it now in 2025 with our new understanding of things that weren\u2019t necessarily there? They were there, but they had a different texture in the 1980s.\u201d<\/p>\n What is certain is that Jennifer dazzles as she sings and dances her way into the film. \u201cMy favorite moments were the musical numbers,\u201d she exulted. \u201cI had a lot of them.\u00a0I didn\u2019t have much else besides 12 musical numbers.\u00a0So, it was really kind of a marathon that we had. It was like a sprint.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause we did it in a short amount of time. There were all these musical numbers, and we didn\u2019t have a lot of time to shoot.\u00a0I wish we had a year and a half like some musicals get to have. Unfortunately, we didn\u2019t get that.\u201d<\/p>\n The Golden Globe-, Emmy-, and Grammy-nominated performer added, \u201cSo we were really like run-and-gun and getting them done.\u00a0One day, it was this number, next day it was that number.\u00a0And that was really my favorite part.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what I always dreamed of doing \u2014 doing a musical movie. So I was living a fantasy for myself, the same way Molina had this fantasy in his mind.\u00a0It was my fantasy (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n For Tonatiuh, who also sings and dances in the elaborate MGM musical-style scenes, \u201cThere are a lot of favorite moments, both from the prison scenes and everything else.\u00a0But there was a personal favorite moment when Jennifer and I were shooting one of the ballroom scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe complimented me, which was beautiful, but then they called action immediately after. I got to look up for a second. I was surrounded by all this incredible Broadway talent. Next to Jennifer, next to Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it hit me, two, three weeks into the shooting, when I was like, oh, this is amazing, and this is my life, I\u2019m surrounded by other artists who are incredible, and whom I respect, and I\u2019m having such a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen they called cut,\u201d he recounted. \u201cI burst into tears with gratitude.\u00a0So it was this moment when I was like, man, I am so happy to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n For Bill, it was seeing \u201cJennifer in that gold dress.\u00a0We rehearsed so hard, but we decided to shoot it in the (Fred) Astaire style, which are single takes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut even with that, at lunch, we were behind. So I said, I want to do the rest of the day in one take over a minute where Jennifer dances with six men and then winds up with Tona. It took a long time to set up.\u00a0But we did it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been asked a number of times what it was about Jennifer that made her the one and only choice,\u201d the director explained why the actress\u2019 consent to star got the project going. \u201cAnd I realize my answer\u2019s a little glib. It\u2019s like, well, we don\u2019t have that many divas, and she is playing this diva.\u00a0But it\u2019s something really more remarkable than that to me that happened in this movie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe understood early on when we talked about the script that Aurora is actually Molina\u2019s best version of what he could have of his life.\u00a0She\u2019s a character who\u2019s never had love, who finds love in the course of this movie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo Jennifer was playing in the style of the \u201940s, but also connecting to what Tona was playing. Then she played the real actress who is an entirely different character, and then she played the dark version of that.\u00a0 It\u2019s not that she\u2019s a diva. That\u2019s not what made her perfect for this role.\u00a0She\u2019s a great actress.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I felt the same way with Tona,\u201d added the director whose other credits include\u00a0Beauty and the Beast\u00a0and\u00a0Gods and Monsters. \u201cWhen we were doing auditions for this part, usually in every production of it on stage, or in the play, you\u2019re only casting one part.\u00a0You\u2019re casting Molina.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut Tona had to play Molina and this \u201940s icon.\u00a0And again, just seeing the way that he embodied that style.\u00a0That, to me, was more exciting than us doing it with camera and technology.\u00a0It was just watching these actors live in these two worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hiring you because I know that you can do the numbers from top to bottom without stopping,\u201d Jennifer shared what Bill told her. \u201cIt was like doing live shows.\u00a0You have to start the number.\u00a0You have to finish the number.\u00a0No matter what happens in between.\u201d<\/p>\n Working with choreographer Sergio Trujillo<\/strong> and cinematographer Tobias Schliessle<\/strong>r, Jennifer said of the elaborate musical numbers, \u201cIt is also choreography with the camera.\u00a0And so yes, I have a lot of respect for the fact that they (musical stars in the \u201940s and \u201950s) did it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI also know that they rehearsed for weeks and months to do one number.\u00a0Like in\u00a0Singing in the Rain\u00a0\u2014 it took a long time to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n For a musical like\u00a0Kiss\u2026, the production wisely turned to Colleen Atwood<\/strong>, who won four Oscars for costume design, including for\u00a0Chicago, and earned numerous nominations. \u201cColleen was very clear,\u201d Jennifer said. \u201cLike, she showed me boards for each change that I had.\u00a0It was very specific.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t somebody who\u2019s like, here are 20 racks of clothes and let\u2019s find the thing.\u00a0\u00a0It was like, no, I think this should be a suit.\u00a0I think this should be a gown.\u00a0I think this should be a gold gown.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish with everything.\u00a0And sometimes I was just like, oh, is that what this scene is?\u00a0Oh, I get it.\u00a0Now, I know how to be.\u00a0Now I know who to be Aurora in this movie.\u00a0\u00a0I know who to be as the Spider Woman in this movie.\u00a0The costumes, when they\u2019re that good, really inform you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe gown is 50 pounds,\u201d Jennifer revealed about the gold gown that Bill cited. \u201cPeople don\u2019t think of that.\u00a0This gown is really heavy.\u00a0Colleen was like, \u2018It\u2019s gorgeous.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s perfect.\u00a0Let\u2019s make it tighter (laughs).\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n In these glamorous but heavy gowns, Jennifer had to gracefully dance in these elaborate sequences. \u201cThere was a lot of different things as far as the musical numbers,\u201d the actress shared. \u201cIt was like what Ginger Rogers <\/strong>said, \u2018You know, I do everything Fred Astaire<\/strong> does, only backwards and in heels.\u2019\u201d(The popular quote was actually penned by cartoonist Bob Thaves<\/strong> in his comic strip,\u00a0Frank and Ernest.)<\/p>\n \u201cIt hasn\u2019t changed (laughs).\u00a0It\u2019s still the same thing. Again, part of the thrill for me, are those challenges.\u00a0And then to do it in this particular movie in a very long one-take.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was not like, okay, maybe they can go back and fix this or that, or edit. These are going to be long takes.\u00a0So that, to me, was the most challenging part of the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Jennifer cited one dance number that was perfect until a shoe got in the way. \u201cYou\u2019re like, halfway or three-quarters of the way through, your heel gets stuck in your gown for whatever reason.\u00a0You\u2019re like, fuck, it was perfect until then.\u00a0So, those things do happen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut at the end of the day, somehow, God is always watching and guiding. Miracles happen on set.\u00a0I do miracles.\u00a0We did miracles (laughs) on this movie in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n Still looking back at the making of\u00a0Kiss\u2026, Jennifer said, \u201cI remember so many moments. All those moments I remember every single day. It was a very important moment in my life to be able to do this film. And there was a lot going on in my life at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n The actress shot\u00a0Kiss\u2026\u00a0while she was going through marriage problems with Ben Affleck. She, Ben, his best friend Matt Damon<\/strong>, and Diego are among the film\u2019s executive producers.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate enough to have a long career,\u201d Jennifer remarked. \u201cThere are certain movies like\u00a0Selena,\u00a0Out of Sight,\u00a0Maid in Manhattan\u00a0that mark a certain time in your life. And this is definitely one of the very important ones for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love it. I feel very lucky to do what I do. The battle for me has always been trying to find balance. And somehow, it just doesn\u2019t work out.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked to define what she considers balance in her life, the all-around performer replied, \u201cI took a year off after I did this movie when I canceled the tour. I didn\u2019t do another movie till the following March. So I realized that I could have a life a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that I could sit still. And nothing was going to go away, which I think causes panic in most artists in this profession, that you think, oh, if I stop, it will all go away.\u00a0But it doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve made your mark and you\u2019re here, and you do what you do. Now, I\u2019m back on it again.\u00a0And enjoying myself.\u00a0I guess I\u2019ll stop when it\u2019s not fun anymore (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n But she admitted, \u201cAs always, I wind up doing another thing after the thing.\u00a0But yeah, I love it.\u00a0I loved being on tour again this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was great to get back out there and to connect with people again on that level.\u00a0And then now, even as I\u2019m talking about this movie, I\u2019m about to go do another film (The Last Mrs. Parrish) with Bob Zemeckis<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super excited about the year and everything that\u2019s coming up.\u00a0I have\u00a0Office Romance\u00a0coming out, which is also fun.\u00a0It\u2019s hard to stop when everything is so fun (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n On what still makes her energetic, as compared to when she was 25, Jennifer cracked, \u201cAm I not 25 anymore?\u201d Looking fit and stunning at 56, she pointed out, \u201cThe dancing really helps.\u00a0The fact that I started as a dancer and I\u2019ve continued that my whole life.\u00a0I also started as an athlete before I was a dancer.\u00a0So, I just have that in my blood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m not moving my body, I\u2019m not happy.\u00a0I need to work out.\u00a0I need to be active. I only feel my best when I\u2019m doing that.\u00a0And even though it\u2019s gotten more challenging as I\u2019ve gotten more mature, it still is a great joy for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I push through the little bit of pain that we all have when we first start working out, when we first start dancing again, whenever I do take a break, it\u2019s hard (laughs).\u00a0And it\u2019s harder now than it was before.\u00a0But once I break through, it\u2019s like I\u2019m 25 again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I still complain about like, why didn\u2019t I know about that movie?\u201d Jennifer candidly answered when asked if, at this stage in her career, she gets to see most of the hot scripts. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t I know about (laughs) this thing?\u00a0Always.\u00a0And it\u2019s frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut again, I could really get upset and angry about it or I could just do the best work that I can do every time I have an opportunity to do it.\u00a0\u00a0And that\u2019s the route that I have chosen for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt took a lot of work to get there,\u201d she mused. \u201cI hope that there are other young Latina actresses and Latino actors who are already getting that in their 20s now.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s different now.\u00a0And that makes me happy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very good time.\u00a0I actually can enjoy without the pressures of feeling like I\u2019m not good enough or I\u2019m not doing enough, or all the things that we fuck ourselves in our mind with. I can just go, I\u2019m here, I love what I\u2019m doing.\u00a0I am so fortunate and really enjoy it without putting pressure on myself to prove anything anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n When Rappler asked Tonatiuh how he would have reacted if someone told him 10 years ago that he would be singing, dancing and acting someday with Jennifer in a musical, he answered:<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have believed it. It really was a surreal moment. Getting to work with Jennifer, Bill and Diego was one of those out-of-body experiences. But the funny thing about my brain is, as soon as they say action, I\u2019m like, let\u2019s do it. We\u2019re in the moment.\u201d \u2013 Rappler.com<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rappler.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" LOS ANGELES, USA \u2013 Jennifer Lopez and Tonatiuh (remember his name) are stars reborn and born, respectively, in\u00a0Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bill Condon\u2019s 2025 adaptation of Manuel Puig\u2019s novel and Terrence McNally\u2019s stage musical. Set in 1983, when Argentina was under a brutal military dictatorship, this latest\u00a0Kiss of the Spider Woman\u00a0iteration, as directed by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2101299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2101298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/In-\u2018Kiss-of-the-Spider-Woman-Jennifer-Lopez-is-a.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2101298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2101298"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2101298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2101300,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2101298\/revisions\/2101300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2101299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2101298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2101298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2101298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"In](\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Ildwu1xiKdg\/sddefault.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n![\"Clothing,](\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/tachyon\/2025\/10\/KissoftheSpiderWoman-Jennifer-Lopez-as-the-Spider-Woman.-Roadside-Attractions-1-scaled.jpg\")
Jennifer Lopez as the Spider Woman. All photos courtesy of Roadside Attractions <\/p>\n![\"Head,](\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/tachyon\/2025\/10\/KissoftheSpiderWoman-Tonatiuh-and-Diego-Luna-in-Kiss-of-the-Spider-Woman.-Roadside-Attractions-2-scaled.jpg\")
Tonatiuh (left) and Diego Luna in a scene from \u2018Kiss of the Spider Woman.\u2019<\/p>\n![\"Clothing,](\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/tachyon\/2025\/10\/KissoftheSpiderWoman-Tonatiuh-in-Kiss-of-the-Spider-Woman.-Roadside-Attractions-1.jpg\")
Tonatiuh captivates in his first major role.<\/p>\n![\"Person,](\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/tachyon\/2025\/10\/KissoftheSpiderWoman-Jennifer-Lopez-and-Tonatiuh-in-Kiss-of-the-Spider-Woman.-Roadside-Attractions-2-scaled.jpg\")
Jennifer Lopez and Tonatiuh share why they love the themes tackled in the musical. <\/p>\n![\"Adult,](\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/tachyon\/2025\/10\/KissoftheSpiderWoman-In-her-first-musical-Jennifer-Lopez-sings-dances-and-dazzles-in-Kiss-of-the-Spider-Woman.-Roadside-Attractions-1-scaled.jpg\")
Jennifer Lopez showcases her singing and dancing prowess.<\/p>\n![\"Clothing,](\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/tachyon\/2025\/10\/KissoftheSpiderWoman-Jennifer-Lopez-and-Tonatiuh-in-Kiss-of-the-Spider-Woman.-Roadside-Attractions-1-scaled.jpg\")
Jennifer Lopez and Tonatiuh appreciate the all-Latino cast. <\/p>\n