Summary
- Jennifer Lopez stars as The Artist in this emotional musical film, seeking love with guidance from a therapist and a Zodiac Council.
- The talented cast includes Fat Joe as the Therapist, Ben Affleck in a cameo, and Gilbert Saldivar as The New Guy love interest.
- The Greek chorus Zodiac Council features famous celebrities like Jane Fonda, Trevor Noah, and Post Malone, adding depth to the storyline.
Released on Prime Video in February 2024, This Is Me…Now is a visual companion to Jennifer Lopez’s music album of the same name. Directed by Dave Meyers, the hour-long music video shapes a dramatic narrative around The Artist (Lopez), a highly creative and strong-willed woman looking for love in all the wrong places. Fortunately, The Artist has a Therapist and a Zodiac Council of celebrities to help guide her toward romantic bliss.
Although This Is Me…Now takes on a much different narrative framing device than most fictional stories, fans are still bound to recognize many of the primary cast members from many popular movies and TV shows. Apart from Lopez’s close friends and family members, the talented cast of This Is Me…Now features a stellar ensemble of upcoming performers who can sing, dance, and act their hearts out.
Jennifer Lopez as The Artist
In addition to narrating the action, Jennifer Lopez takes center stage as The Artist, a hopeless romantic desperate to find true love. When the movie begins, The Artist bears her soul in a musical performance inside a factory, reinforcing Lopez’s blue-collar upbringing on the block. When the whole performance turns out to be a dream, The Artist is seen expressing her feelings to her Therapist. As the movie unfolds, The Artist leans on a Zodiac Council of astrological signs (Greek Chorus) to find happiness.
One of the most famous global entertainers of the past 25 years, Jennifer Lopez continues to expand her multimedia empire. After putting in the work for decades by going from being a backup dancer for In Living Color to starring as pop icon Selena, Lopez has given stellar performances, improved her acting throughout her career, and hit a critical high note in the 2019 film Hustlers. This Is Me…Now marks the first of three price multimedia projects Lopez is currently developing.
Fat Joe as The Therapist
Fat Joe portrays The Artist’s Therapist in the musical movie. During one-on-one sessions, The Artist daydreams about meeting her true love. Upon snapping out of it, The Therapist offers shrewd advice to help The Artist find true love, using his own marital experiences to support his arguments.
Similar to Lopez, Fat Joe is of Puerto Rican descent and came up in the New York music scene. The superb Terror Squad rapper began acting in the late ’90s and has appeared in such diverse projects as Happy Feet and Night School to She’s Gotta Have It, New York Undercover, and more. Fat Joe, Lopez, and Ben Affleck recently appeared in the Dunkin’: The DunKings Super Bowl commercial.
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Ben Affleck as Rex Stone
Ben Affleck appears in a cameo as Rex Stone, a heavily disguised news anchor who comments on the action in between The Artist’s narration. When The Artist finds herself alone in her swanky high-rise, she is often accompanied only by Rex Stone, who continues to blather and bluster on the air about current events in the world.
Jennifer Lopez’s husband, Ben Affleck remains one of the most famous Hollywood talents of the past 25 years. While perhaps best known for playing Batman, Affleck has won two Academy Awards in his career, one for co-writing Good Will Hunting and another for producing the Best Picture-winning Argo. With stellar turns in Gone Girl, Air, The Way Back, The Accountant, Dazed and Confused, and more, Affleck appears to be having a lot of fun in This is Me…Now.
Gilbert Saldivar as The New Guy
Played by Gilbert Saldivar, The New Guy is The Artist’s main love interest when the musical begins. The Artist daydreams of The New Guy in a dingy factory before expressing her feelings to The Therapist. Once The Artist begins dating The New Guy, she is confronted by the Zodiac Council, an ensemble of famous actors who each bear a different astrological sign. The Artist must weigh the wisdom offered by the council relating to her romantic future.
Saldivar is a journeyman actor who has notably appeared in Stomp the Yard, Dexter, The Closer, Chocolate City, Shine, and more. Saldivar is also an accomplished dancer who has appeared in many music videos, including Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull’s 2012 hit single “Dance Again.” In 2019, Saldivar played Land Pirate Gil in Quentin Tarantino’s acclaimed movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
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Who Plays the Zodiac Council?
The Zodiac Council in This is Me… Now acts as a Greek chorus in the feature-length music video. Each of the 10 zodiac signs is represented here, with a celebrity making a cameo. From Musicians to comedians and actors to even a legendary Indian yoga instructor, the Zodiac Council represents a variety of creative types.
- Jane Fonda as Sagittarius
- Trevor Noah as Libra
- Kim Petras as Virgo
- Post Malone as Leo
- Keke Palmer as Scorpio
- Sofia Vergara as Cancer
- Neil deGrasse Tyson as Taurus
- Jennifer Lewis as Gemini
- Jay Shetty as Aries
- Sadhguru as Pisces
Stream This Is Me… Now on Prime Video.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
