“It was a meaty role, but it was few and far between, especially for Latinos to have a role like that,” Jennifer Lopez recently told Variety, discussing her Golden Globe-nominated role in “Selena.” “I think it’s still challenging for women, especially being Latina. Thinking about ‘Selena’ 20 years ago and to have a role like that, I was very lucky. I was very fortunate. But it’s still a struggle for women.”

Lopez’s observation is spot-on. According to the 2016 Celluloid Ceiling Report by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, Latinas only represented three percent of all female characters from the top 100 grossing films.

Released March 21, 1997, “Selena” is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. Gregory Nava’s biopic follows the “meteoric rise and murder of Tejano music star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez,” Variety summarizes.

Since that breakout performance, Lopez has enjoyed a meteoric rise of her own as an actress, producer, activist, and musical artist. But even as “one of the most influential Latino celebrities of all time,” as Variety describes her, Lopez has had more than her share of glass ceiling encounters. So, like many women, she decided to make her own dream jobs.

“At this point, you have to create your own opportunities,” the UN’s first-ever Global Advocate for Girls and Women told Variety. “I think it’s the second phase of your career — you kind of make a name for yourself and show everybody what you do and where your talents lay, and then you have to take it into your own hands and be the artist that you want to be. I think [the industry] is still moving and growing, and it’s always a challenge for women.”

Lopez currently stars as Harlee Santos on NBC’s “Shades of Blue.” The police drama co-starring Ray Liotta and Drea de Matteo was recently renewed for a third season. Her other recent credits include the films “Lila & Eve” and “The Boy Next Door.” Lopez will star in NBC’s “Bye Bye Birdie Live!” in December. She is also set to topline and exec produce HBO’s TV movie “The Cocaine Godmother.”