'Hustlers' star Jennifer Lopez says she once considered stripping early in career: 'It sounded awfully good'

Jennifer Lopez, nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of a New York stripper in the movie "Hustlers," has divulged that she once considered stripping at the start of her career.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Lopez played Ramona, a woman who found a criminal way to profit after the markets crashed in 2008. Lopez said she struggled initially getting into character because she hadn't played someone so dark and complicated as Ramona.

But there was a part of the character's life that Lopez almost could've identified with: Lopez told W Magazine she had once considered stripping.

"There was a moment in my life when my friends, who were also dancers, told me about making thousands of dollars at clubs in New Jersey. They said, 'You won’t need to be topless,'" she explained to W.

While it may have sounded like an appealing way to earn money quickly, she decided against it.

"It sounded awfully good when I was broke and eating pizza every day," Lopez added. "But I never did it."

For her role in the film, which she produced, she did her own dance moves. She wanted to dig into the authenticity of the role, she told the USA TODAY Network.

"Every role I do, I try to make it as authentic as possible, make it as real as possible, really go for the grit in it," she said.

Lopez said she wants to make more movies focused on the stories of women — the good, the bad and the interesting. "Hustlers," she said, was a big deal for her.

"One of the things I want to do at my production company with my partner (Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas) is to take the women from the background and put them at the forefront and tell their stories," Lopez said. Her company, Nuyorican, has also produced "Second Act" and "The Boy Next Door," among others.

Lopez said she was "so happy" with how the movie was received. The Hollywood Reporter said the movie debuted with $33 million in earnings.

"Hustlers," based on true events, tells the story of adult entertainers who were arrested in 2014 after drugging wealthy men and charging their credit cards — making $200,000 in unauthorized purchases — at New York City gentleman's clubs. The film is based on the report by journalist Jessica Pressler, who published "The Hustlers at Scores" in New York Magazine in 2015. Four adult entertainers and a club manager were arrested and charged with conspiracy, assault and forgery.

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Contributing: Melissa Daniels, Palm Springs Desert Sun

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Hustlers' star Jennifer Lopez considered stripping early on in career