Lopez found that she missed the Bronx. “I hated L.A.,” she said. “I was asking, ‘Where’s the store for milk? Don’t you guys walk on the street?’ Now I love Los Angeles, but it doesn’t give me strength the way the Bronx did. All the strength that I needed for life, I got from that neighborhood.”
And, apparently, a tremendous work ethic. Lopez works hard. Around the time of our shoot, she was promoting her new hit single, “Live It Up”; making a video in Miami Beach; performing the Beatles anthem “Come Together” with Mary J. Blige at the Sound of Change Live concert for women’s rights in London; attending a joint conference at the UN for women and children; overseeing her line of clothing for Kohl’s; making final selections for the ad campaign for her 20th fragrance, JLove; and rehearsing an appearance for the American Idol season finale. She is also a mom: Her 5-year-old twins, Max and Emme, travel with her and her boyfriend, Caspar Smart. “I think a lot about teaching my kids to work hard,” Lopez said. “I’ve learned something about kids—they don’t do what you say; they do what you do. I watched my parents. My dad worked nights, and I was aware of how much he was doing for us. My mom was a Tupperware lady and also worked at the school. I always felt that I couldn’t let them down. And I had a natural discipline from early on. I was always training for something.”