Washington DC [US], June 17 : Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez has opened up about one of the most frightening moments of her career, revealing that she was rushed to the hospital after pushing herself to the limit and working for 98 consecutive days without a break, according to People.
During an appearance on the SmartLess podcast, Lopez reflected on a period when she was juggling multiple films, music projects and promotional commitments, leaving virtually no time to rest.
"When I was doing Enough, I think I had done like four movies in a row, and I had recorded my second album or something like that, so the JLo album, which was really big," Lopez recalled.
The multi-hyphenate star explained that her schedule involved filming throughout the day, recording music at night and spending weekends on promotional duties.
"And I was working, filming every day, as you guys know what that is, you know, all the hours. And then I would go into the studio at night, and then on the weekends, I had junkets or video shoots or whatever. And I remember not clocking that I had worked like 98 days in a row without taking a day off," she said.
The physical and mental strain eventually caught up with her while she was filming the 2002 thriller Enough.
"Every time I walk to the set, I start getting a little pitter-patter in my heart; it's like rising. And finally, it got to the point I was like, I really feel nervous," Lopez shared, according to People.
She recalled speaking to her young co-star before realising something was seriously wrong.
"I had the little girl in Enough. And I was like, 'I'm sorry, sweetie, I feel a little weird today.' I said, 'I'm a little tired or something,' and she was like, 'It's okay, You're going to be alright' ... but I wasn't alright."
Moments later, Lopez experienced alarming symptoms that left her unable to function.
"I went back to the trailer, and I sat down, and all of a sudden, like, I just couldn't see. Like, it was almost like I couldn't see clearly, like something just went over my eyes, and I couldn't move," she said.
The actress immediately alerted her longtime friend and assistant.
"And one of my girlfriends, who was my friend since the second grade, was my assistant. And I said to her, 'Arlene, I can't move. I can't see.' She goes, 'Stop it, Jennifer, you're scaring me.' And I go, 'No, I really can't move. You should get somebody,'" according to People.
Lopez was subsequently taken to the hospital, where she feared she might be suffering from a serious mental health issue.
"We went to the hospital. And I said to the doctor, I said, 'Am I going crazy?' And he said, 'No. You're not crazy,' " she recalled.
According to Lopez, the doctor explained that her body had effectively shut down because of extreme exhaustion brought on by months of relentless work without adequate rest.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Lopez also reflected on another challenging chapter of her life -- adjusting to global fame and losing her anonymity.
The actress revealed that one of the first moments she realised her life had changed forever came when fans approached her on the way to an audition. Initially startled, Lopez thought she was being mugged before understanding that people simply recognised her.
"I think in my mind, I thought, 'You can't get that back. That's something that lasts forever,' and I remember that's when I started having panic attacks," she said.
She admitted that coming to terms with fame and the lack of privacy that accompanied it was emotionally overwhelming.
"That was getting used to fame and realizing your life had changed in a way you couldn't control anymore. You can't go back. There's always gonna... somebody will always have seen Selena and for whatever reason, that really freaked me out and that took a minute," Lopez shared.
The star also recalled facing intense media attention, including being surrounded by photographers while heading to the set of Monster-in-Law, which further added to her stress.
Looking back, Lopez said she eventually learned to adapt to life in the spotlight by keeping her circle small and carefully managing her public appearances.
"It can be really tricky, and you learn to kinda like live a certain way," she said. "Like, I don't go out all that much, you know. Nowhere I can go, to this day. And I have my, like, very small group of friends and they come over or we do things or we go on trips. But even when we go on trips, it's very curated, and you have to learn because it's just part of it," according to People.