A Pop Diva’s Surprising Turn as an Action Star Is Dominating Netflix in 79 Countries

In a surprising turn for the noted vocalist, Jennifer Lopez has scored a massive success on Netflix by playing a deadly assassin. The star, who is arguably more associated with romance than violence, has seized the top of the Netflix charts in 79 countries with her new action film, and it doesn’t seem like she’ll let go any time soon.

In The Mother, Lopez takes on the role of a deadly assassin who is dragged back into her violent past as she attempts to unravel the complicated areas where her life and deadly career intersect. Directed by Niki Caro, who helmed the recent live-action Mulan, and written by Lovecraft Country showrunner Misha Green, the film does an admirable job of taking the traditional story of a very dangerous man whose family is in trouble and turning it slightly on its head. According to FlixPatrol, audiences seem to be enjoying it, too, as the film rapidly dominated the Netflix charts and shows no signs of moving.

While most people will associate Lopez with either her singing career or her time spent in an assortment of rom-coms opposite impressively jawed leading men, she has made some stellar career choices that have led to some very interesting movies. She was brave enough to join both Sean Penn and Nick Nolte in 1997 for Oliver Stone’s U-Turn, and she took on the main role in the thematically troubling and visually arresting The Cell by Tarsem Singh in 2000. Also, she was in Anaconda, the best film about giant snakes to ever grace our screens.

It should also be noted that Jennifer is following in the footsteps of action luminary Liam Neeson, who didn’t really dive into the world of action movies until he was in his 50s. That’s right, folks. Jennifer Lopez is 53 years old but is thankfully aging like only the ultra-rich can afford to do.

Hopefully, it leads to an outpouring of films where some of Hollywood’s more seasoned leading ladies get their chance to crack some skulls and threaten shadowy figures over the phone. I’d pay good money to see Jennifer Aniston take out hordes of henchmen as she makes her way to the top of a skyscraper for a final showdown. Julia Roberts with a rocket launcher? Violas Davis in a high-speed motorcycle chase? Let’s make it happen, Hollywood.