Jennifer Lopez celebrates moment she’s long ‘been waiting for’ at ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’

(CNN) — Musicals are very personal for Jennifer Lopez and now that has come full circle.

Video shared on social media by The Hollywood Reporter shows the actress/singer at the Sundance Film Festival premiere of her new film, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in Park City, Utah.

Lopez was joined by the musical’s director, Bill Condon, and her costar Tonatiuh for a Q&A after the screening. The trio received two standing ovations, according to the publication, and Lopez is seen getting visibly emotional in the video, explaining, “I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life.”

“The truth is, when you talk about the importance of musicals, the reason that I even wanted to be in this business was because my mom would sit me in front of the TV when ‘West Side Story’ would come on once a year, on Thanksgiving. I was just mesmerized,” she said. “And I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do. That’s what I want to do.’ That was always my goal, and this is the first time that I actually got to do it.”

What began as a 1976 novel by Argentinian author Manuel Puig was later adapted into a 1985 film, starring William Hurt, Raul Julia and Sonia Braga, before becoming a Tony-winning 1993 Broadway musical.

The plot in the new film follows the original in that it is centered on a political prisoner (played by Diego Luna) in Argentina who shares a cell with a queer window dresser (Tonatiuh), where they talk about the plot of a Hollywood musical starring a talented actress (Lopez).

Condon reportedly addressed the timeliness of the project during his remarks before the screening in light of US President Donald Trump’s recent declaration that the federal government would only recognize two genders, male and female.

“One of the things the movie is about is the attempt to bridge the incredible, difficult differences that separate us so often. In that spirit, I’m going to read a line from a speech from earlier this week: As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female, as assigned at birth immutable.”

Some members of the audience hissed their displeasure at that before he continued.

“That’s a sentiment that the movie has a different point of view on,” Condon said. “Personally, I think the most important thing is that somehow we have to bridge these differences, and there’s a sense in this movie — I hope you feel it — that the only way is going to be through kindness and love.”

A release date for the movie has not yet been announced.

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