Jennifer Lopez insisted "the best is yet to come" when asked about "getting up there" as an actress of her age

She said: "I honestly feel that the best is yet to come. I honestly feel that my creativity and who I am as an artist is like you said... I also feel that this [movie] for me was another level for me, of going deeper into who I am as a person and as an artist. These types of roles change you in a way when you allow them to because they come to you at times in your life when you need them. And they help you grow and heal you in a way. And if you can let yourself be vulnerable enough and real enough to show your flaws and to really expose yourself in a way as an artist, that is a gift you really want."

When the singer began her career as an actress, she felt that there were no typical Hollywood roles for those of her heritage and she recently explained that it was her own self-belief that she could be the "girl next door" that led her to "break those moulds".

Speaking on Variety's Award Circuits podcast, she said: "I heard someone say that positive change is slow - and it is - but as long as we're moving in the right direction, that's what matters.

"When I started, there weren't a lot of roles for Latinas. I was auditioning for parts with accents and stereotypes. I kept thinking, 'Why can't I just play a romantic lead? Why can't I be the girl next door?' That belief-that conviction that I belonged - was what helped me break those moulds."

The 'Made in Manhattan' star came to prominence when she took on the titular role of the tragic pop singer in the 1997 biopic 'Selena' before turning to a career in music herself, with hits such as 'Jenny From the Block' and 'Waiting For Tonight' in the early 2000s.

But she has managed to keep a hand in acting, with appearances in 'Marry Me' and 'Shotgun Wedding' in recent years and ahead of two more upcoming films, admitted that she only really does it for the "love of the art" above anything else.

She said: "I do it for the love of the art. It's not about the awards or the accolades. It's about telling stories that matter - stories that make people feel seen, stories that inspire. That's what keeps me going."