Courtney Love has thrown her support behind Jennifer Lopez winning an Oscar next year for her role as a stripper in new film Hustlers.
Lopez stars alongside Constance Wu, Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart in the comedy drama, which is based on a true story and follows a group of strippers who resort to robbing their rich clients after falling on hard times following the 2008 financial crisis.
The film has received critical acclaim since it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last week, and Lopez has been at the centre of awards season buzz, with some critics and fans suggesting she could be in line for her first Academy Award nomination.
Love has spoken out as a supporter of the film, particularly Lopez, who she thinks deserves one of the film industry’s top prizes.
Singer-songwriter Love wrote on Instagram: “@jlo, you blew everyone’s minds tonight at @arclightcinemas Hollywood, we were screaming for you lady! Stunning, mesmerizing performance as VENUS.”
She added: “Diva, true movie star! Hope you win the Oscar. You were … oh.. my.. god. got no words …”
Referring to the film’s director and writer Lorene Scafaria, Love said: “Labor of love and it shows.. wow!”
Love later added, referring to Lopez’s powerful physique in the film: “Wait. Until. She. Comes . Onscreen. It . Is . Insane.”
In an interview with US broadcaster SiriusXM earlier this week, Lopez became emotional when she was told by the host that she may be in line to receive her first Oscar nomination when reading out reviews for Hustlers.
Tearing up in response to the acclaim, Lopez said: “You know, I’ve just been working hard for so long for my whole life, so it’s nice.
“You work hard your whole life and you wonder if anybody notices, in a sense, on that level, to be in that conversation.
“You have dreams as a little girl of being there. Just to even talk about it – we’re not even there – but just to talk about it is amazing.”
In Hustlers, Lopez, 50, plays veteran stripper Ramona Vega, who takes Wu’s new recruit Destiny, a struggling single mother, under her wing.
Together, they make a fortune through ripping off rich clients – before their scheme starts to attract the unwanted attention of the police.
Julia Stiles stars as the journalist interviewing Wu’s character about the scam.
Lopez also serves as a producer on the film, which has a favourable rating of 87% on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes.
The critical site says: “Led by a career-best performance from Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers is a uniquely empowering heist drama with depth and intelligence to match its striking visual appeal.”