For ages, women have been used as sex symbols and unspoken desires. The origins of striptease as a performance art are disputed and various dates and occasions have been given from ancient Babylonia to 20th century America. The term “striptease” was first recorded in 1932, though stripping, in the sense of women removing clothing to the sexual gratification of men dates to the 19th century. What happens when women, despite of career choices, began to turn the tables to retrieve benefits for themselves?
Inspired by the popular New York Magazine article titled The Hustlers at Scores, the movie follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. The first trailer for Hustlers has officially been released, giving fans a first look at Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, and more. Hip hop stars Cardi B and Lizzo also make an appearance in their film debut scheduled to be released September 13, 2019. Hustlers was written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, who also wrote the screenplay for Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, The Meddler, and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. The saga is described as "a modern Robin Hood story" that focuses on "a few strippers who stole from (mostly) rich, (usually) disgusting, (in their minds) pathetic men and gave to, well, themselves."
The movie is a bit nostalgic to Cardi B's roots prior to her remarkable music career. She built a career as a stripper before becoming a breakout rap star. Cardi, who is very vocal and brutally honest about her story, has no shame in her past. She previously said in an interview, "I don't tell girls to go do it, but I am not going to front—it really saved me. It really saved me. Before I was at the strip club, I was a cashier at a market." Jennifer Lopez spoke with Billboard about what fans can expect the film and how she prepared. Lopez got tips from visits to the strip club and chats with Cardi B. Lopez stated her biggest challenge was learning how to pole dance. "Learning pole dancing was probably one of the most challenging things I've ever done for a film," Lopez said. "But it was worth it. I love this character. I love this story. It's a really gritty New York story with women at the forefront -- the thing actresses dream of -- and to be able to produce it and star in it was very special."
However, the biggest shock of the movie is the stellar performance by KeKe Palmer according to Lopez. Jennifer released the following statement, “…they were all great. I expected Cardi to be good, I expected Lizzo to be good, but I didn't know enough about Keke. I had seen her audition tape. I did a little bit of research on her when they were thinking about her role. We went through so many people for that part, so many people." It was Palmer’s bubbly personality that caught the attention of the executive producers. "When I saw her -- I had watched a couple of interviews of her and stuff like that -- I was like, 'This girl has something. She has personality, and she was awesome. We had fun from the first scene. I was like, 'OK. We're gon' have fun!” stated Lopez. The all-star cast of the upcoming film Hustlers features plenty of heavy hitters, but it seems Keke Palmer shines the brightest.
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