LOS ANGELES -- Jennifer Lopez made an emotional speech about how believers and skeptics contributed to her success, as she accepted a career achievement honour at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday.
âI want to thank the people who gave me joy and the ones who broke my heart â the ones who were true and the ones who lied to me,â said Lopez, who nabbed this year's Generation Award for actors whose diverse contributions have made them household names. She also took home best song â a new category â for the track âOn My Wayâ from the âMarry Me" soundtrack.
MTVâs youth-focused celebration of film and TV offered a lighter, breezier awards show, with 26 categories in gender-neutral categories like best villain, best kiss and new category âhere for the hookup.â Hosted by Vanessa Hudgens, the ceremony returned to a live format after being pre-recorded for several years.
Lopez shed tears as she thanked fans, her longtime manager and children for âteaching me to love,â bringing the audience to their feet at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.
âI want to thank the people who gave me this life," said Lopez, 52, later adding, âYouâre only as good as the people who you work with. But if youâre lucky, they make you better. Iâve been very lucky in that regard.â
Lopez's first breakthrough came as a dancer on the 1990s sketch comedy series âIn Living Color.â She pursued an acting career and landed a leading role in âSelenaâ in 1997. She would go on to appear in such films including âAnaconda,â âOut of Sight,â âThe Wedding Planner,â âHustlersâ and her latest, âMarry Me.â
As a singer, Lopez has earned success on the pop and Latin charts with multiple hit songs and albums. She released her multi-hit debut âOn the 6â in 1999 and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with songs like âIf You Had My Love,â âAll I Haveâ and the remixes of âIâm Realâ and âAinât It Funny.â
And in 2020, Lopez performed during the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Shakira.
âSpider-Man: No Way Homeâ entered the awards as the leading nominee with seven. It took home best movie, and the filmâs star Tom Holland won for best performance in a movie. With almost US$1.9 billion earned at the box office, it was the biggest film of the year and a fan favourite, but was largely overlooked by the major awards shows.
Zendaya won for best performance in a show for her role in âEuphoria,â which came away with best show. The HBO series also won here for the hookup.
Early in the broadcast, 19-year-old singer Olivia Rodrigo won best music documentary for her project âOlivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u.â Rodrigo, who won three Grammys this year including best new artist, spoke about the importance of creating the film, which involves a road trip, live performances and reflections on her debut album âSour.â
âI made âdriving home 2 uâ for the fans, especially those who couldnât come to see me on tour,â Rodrigo said.
Jack Black also received a career achievement award, Comic Genius. He ran onstage and seemed almost out of breathe before giving his acceptance speech.
âI need a little blast of oxygen,â he said before rattling off several films he starred in, like âSchool of Rockâ and two âJumanjiâ films. He played in other comedies including âShallow Hal," âTropic Thunder" and the animated âKung Fu Pandaâ franchise films, where Black voiced the main character.
âComedic genius. Câmon are you kidding? For what?â he said. âI donât deserve this, but Iâll take it.â
The ceremony kicked off with âLokiâ star Sophia Di Martino winning breakthrough performance for her role as Sylvie on the Disney Plus television series. After the actor claimed her trophy, she talked about being 9 months pregnant when she was offered the role, and her baby being just 3 months old when she started filming.
âItâs been quite the journey, so this really means a lot to me,â she said. âThank you to the audience. Itâs all for you. Thank you for letting Sylvie into your imaginations.â
Daniel Radcliffe won best villain for his portrayal of a billionaire in the adventure comedy âThe Lost City.â
Diplo and Swae Lee performed âTupelo Shuffleâ from the upcoming âElvisâ biopic from director Baz Luhrmann.