Jennifer Lopez on Her #MeToo Moment: “I Was Terrified”

Like many, many other women in the entertainment industry, it seems that Jennifer Lopez has a #MeToo story of her own. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the powerful multi-hyphenate decided to share details of being sexually harassed by a director early on in her career.

“I haven’t been abused in the way some women have,” she said when asked about the Time’s Up movement, “but have I been told by a director to take off my shirt and show my boobs? Yes, I have. But did I do it? No, I did not.”

Lopez added that the incident occurred on one of her very first films, and that she was frightened to fight back when it happened.

“When I did speak up, I was terrified,” she said. “I remember my heart beating out of my chest, thinking, ‘What did I do? This man is hiring me!’ It was one of my first movies. But in my mind I knew the behavior wasn’t right. It could have gone either way for me. But I think ultimately the Bronx in me was like, ‘Nah, we’re not having it.’”

This isn’t the first time Lopez has spoken candidly on this topic. In January, she went to Puerto Rico to do relief work in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, a trip that coincided with the Golden Globes. In her speech, flanked by boyfriend Alex Rodriguez, Lopez shared that though she was far from Hollywood at the time, she was dressed in solidarity with the industry’s women, who were wearing black in support of the Time’s Up movement.

“A lot of the women with #TimesUp are standing up for equality, to be treated equally,” she said. “I stand here today in black doing the same from far away. It’s the same thing here in Puerto Rico: we want to be treated equally.”

She posted the video of her speech on Instagram, using the hashtag #equality.

Lopez has been a vocal supporter of the Time’s Up initiative since its early days, showing her passion for the movement on Instagram. “Everyone’s resolution for the year: No more accepting sexual harassment and inequality at work as normal,” she wrote in a caption for a photo posted on January 2. “It’s not normal. #TIMESUP.”

Lopez has also been frank about the general challenges of being a successful woman in the industry. In 2016, she admitted that she despises the “diva” label she’s been given, and how disturbing it is to her that men who behave badly on set don’t get the same admonishment. “I’ve always been fascinated by how much more well behaved we have to be than men,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “I did get a moniker of being a diva, which I don’t deserve, because I’ve always been a hard worker, always on time.”

Lopez also said that the male-dominated dynamic of most sets made it harder for her to voice her opinion: “The boys’ club that they form sometimes makes you feel like, ‘Oh, I can’t say anything.’”

Lopez’s story is not unlike the claims many, many other actresses have made about the sexist rigors of working in Hollywood. But if the Harvey Weinstein effect is any indication, change is finally happening.

Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:Jennifer Lopez’s Style Evolution from Fly Girl to SuperstarYohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.