As the Oscar campaign for Jennifer Lopez rumbles on, Courtney Love has thrown her support behind the actress.
Jennifer stars alongside Constance Wu, Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart as a stripper in new film Hustlers, based on a true story which follows the 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 and triple-threat star Jennifer has since 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 now spoken out as a supporter of the film, particularly JLo, who she thinks deserves one of the film industry’s top prizes.
‘@jlo, you blew everyone’s minds tonight at @arclightcinemas Hollywood, we were screaming for you lady! Stunning, mesmerizing performance as VENUS,’ she wrote.
‘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, Jennifer 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, she 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, the 50-year-old 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.
‘While the crimes committed by the women are undeniably heinous and dangerous, it’s impossible to leave Hustlers without feeling some sort of empathy for the incredibly likeable – if fundamentally flawed – characters,’ said Metro.co.uk in a four and a half star review.
‘Their crimes are not born from greed but from the need to survive, and they become almost Robin Hood-esque characters, stealing from the rich in order to fund the poor (or at least the poor’s Louboutin shoe habit).’
Hustlers is released in UK cinemas on Friday 13 September.
