The Academy consistently awards particular kinds of performances, often involving period pieces, hysterical outbursts, and other jaw-dropping moments. For the most part, Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers features none of these things, but rather, relies upon the excellent work of Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu.
We’re guessing that there will be other actresses that will be nominated for Best Actress, but we’d love to see Wu and/or Lopez nominated. Here are a few reasons why.
J Lo: Did Research On Her Costumes
Most films have costume designers that are completely competent at doing their job, and Hustlers is no different. What doesn’t always happen is having a cast member actively involved in the research for their costume. J Lo did just that. After visiting several strip clubs with her fiance, J Lo sent pictures to the costume designer Mitchell Travers. He indicated that “the result was a dizzying 85 costume changes in the film.” Wow. Talk about doing your homework.
Constance Wu: Voiceover Technique
Voiceover in feature films is often criticized as relying too much on telling the audience everything rather than letting them arrive at conclusions on their own. Wu makes her voiceover work feel like a conversation with us as the audience, not work. She even listened to hours of recorded interviews of the real-life woman she portrays in the film to capture her voice. Wu manages to be compelling without making us feel we are being preached to and that’s not easy to accomplish.
J Lo: Did Her Own Pole Dancing… At Age 50
Good pole dancers make pole dancing look easy as pie. But if you have ever actually tried it yourself, you know that this is a skill that takes a lot of time and practice to develop. With the magic of cameras and body doubles, J Lo could have handed the baton over to other people and let them do the hard work of pole dancing.
But to her credit, she took the time to develop the skill and when it came time to being upside down she said, “Please get my face, I don’t care if I look like a bat hanging upside down, I want people to know there’s no doubles in this movie.” If you want to see her in action, check it out here.
Constance Wu: Does Not Need J Lo To Carry The Film
While Wu and J Lo have great chemistry together, Wu is really what keeps the film moving. She is not just a pawn to be acted upon; she grows from being a timid, first-time stripper in the beginning to a businesswoman who can stand upright alongside J Lo. Several times in the film, Wu says that J Lo’s character, Ramona, was in control of what was happening. Really, though, it was Wu’s character that controlled the narrative and our ultimate perceptions of the events that take place.
J Lo: Acts Because She Wants To
J Lo has been plenty successful as a recording artist in her own right. She could choose to stick to her music and be completely fine. But clearly, she’s not content with just that. In her own words, she acts because she wants to. And it shows here. At no point does J Lo appear to be phoning in her performance. Every scene matters regardless of its overall impact.
Constance Wu: Plays Every Angle
Many an Oscar performance has been marked by moments where an actor turns the volume up to 11 when a 7 or 8 would suffice. Wu, on the other hand, knows exactly what numbers she needs to hit and gets them every time.
At no point does it feel like she’s going to hard in a moment she shouldn’t, or going too soft. She knows what every moment calls for and rises to the occasion.
J Lo: Doesn’t Rely Completely Upon Her Dancing
In one of the first scenes between Constance Wu and J Lo, they are both on the roof of the building talking together about the business. Though its not a dialogue-heavy scene, J Lo speaks plenty with the subtle looks she gives Wu as she describes her experience so far. J Lo could have given an otherwise stilted performance and would still be remembered for her compelling opening performance. But her dancing is just the beginning. She only becomes more interesting as the movie progresses and she has to fight to stay alive in a world that doesn’t care about her.
Constance Wu: Holistic Approach
There are many different ways Wu could have approached her role. It would have been very easy for her to reduce her role to the titular occupation. However, Wu saw the bigger picture. When asked what made her want to play a stripper, Wu responded, “I played a person who works in a strip club for a living… I make that distinction because I think people’s occupations are used as identity markers and that leads to a lot of preconceived notions and prejudices.” Using this approach allowed us to look past the preconceived notions we may have had and see the characters in ways we haven’t before.
J Lo: Knows How To Make A Family
While the film is primarily the Wu and J Lo show, it also gives ample time to other ladies that they rope into their business. Wu described her character in the film as one who is lonely and in search of a family. This description could also match Ramona.
Ramona not only knows what she’s looking for; she knows how to make it. She brings Destiny and other women around her together to form a family of their own. Although imperfect, she is definitely the matriarch.
Constance Wu: The Keyser Soze of Hustlers
Through it all, Wu is the secret sauce of the movie. She is just as much the victim as she is the perpetrator. Her performance keeps you guessing throughout the film. Is she innocent? Is she guilty? Are we more like her, or would we be more like J Lo? By the end, there’s not exactly a clear answer to all of our questions, and that’s a good thing. The stripper with a heart of gold is a role that has been played many times before Hustlers; it is high time we got to see strippers do more, and Wu does.
