Jennifer Lopez is finally opening up about the time she lost a major movie role to Madonna — and now, she's laughing about it.

According to TMZ, During a Q&A session after a screening of her upcoming musical film "Kiss of the SpiderWoman," Lopez recalled her audition for "Evita," the 1996 movie musical where Madonna famously played Argentina's First Lady, Eva Perón.

"I went to audition for "Evita" for [director] Alan Parker," Lopez, 56, said. "I had been practicing for weeks and I sing my heart out and [Parker] goes, 'You're amazing. You know Madonna has the part, right?'"

Lopez told the story with a smile, but admitted it caught her off guard at the time. "I said, 'Okay, bye-bye. Nice to meet you.'"

Madonna, now 67, went on to star in "Evita," which received five Oscar nominations and won Best Original Song.

Lopez Says 'This Is the Right Thing' After Years of Musical Auditions

The film, based on the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical, became a box office success. Director Alan Parker passed away in 2020.

Lopez's audition story adds a personal twist to a role many fans may not have realized she tried to land. At the time, Lopez was still early in her acting career and had yet to take on a full movie musical.

Back in January, during a Hollywood Reporter interview at Sundance, Lopez mentioned "Evita" as one of a few musicals she auditioned for, including "Chicago" and "Nine." "There were a lot of things that I had always hoped I could do," she said. "But this is the right thing."

Now, nearly 30 years later, Lopez is starring in her first-ever movie musical — "Kiss of the Spider Woman," which opens in theaters October 10, Complex reported.

In the film, she plays Ingrid Luna, a fictional movie star who appears in the fantasy world imagined by two prisoners. The film also stars Diego Luna and Tonatiuh.

At Sundance, Lopez said many of her musical scenes were filmed in one continuous take, just like in old Hollywood musicals. "It's pretty amazing when you do see it and you go, 'Oh, that was all one shot,'" she said.

Originally published on Music Times

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Jennifer Lopez, Madonna