Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez Visited Strip Club Before Her Role in ‘Hustlers’

Jennifer Lopez took Alex Rodriguez to do some research ahead of her risqué role on the movies, Hustlers. In a new interview, the star-studded film’s writer and director Lorene Scafaria revealed that the superstar and her husband-to-be visited a strip club in order to bring authenticity to the movie.

“She and Alex went and visited a strip club, and she was able to give me some… insights,” Scafaria told Vulture.

The film, set for release later this year, is based on the 2015 New York magazine article on a group of New York strippers who scammed men out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. PEOPLE writes things fell into place once Lopez agreed to join the cast.

“The moment I finished the script, I realized, ‘Oh my God, Ramona is Jennifer Lopez,’” she told the publication. “‘Jennifer Lopez is Ramona. The two of them are the same; they have all of these similar qualities. It has to be her.’ Casting was made infinitely easier once Jennifer was attached. Everybody really, really, really wanted to work with Jennifer. That was the beauty of making this movie, too: casting what felt like the right people for each part, and watching them interact the way that they should with each other.”

Scafaria added: “She’s obviously such an unbelievable dancer, but she trained so hard-core for this. Pole dancing is not like anything else. It required muscles you don’t know you have. So we did treat it a little bit like a sports movie in that way.”

Along with Lopez, the film also stars Cardi B, who was open about being a stripper before making it in the music industry, Crazy Rich Asians star Constance Wu, Riverdale star Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer, Lizzo, Tracy Lysette and Julia Stiles.

The movie filmed in New York City earlier this summer, with Lopez and the other co-stars frequently teasing their characters on social media in the process. The first trailer for the upcoming film is expected to be released this week.

“I’m a hustler baby… I just want you to know… #Ramona on fire,” Lopez captioned a photo of herself in character wearing a pink bikini and showing off her toned abs. “On set and in character for #hustlersmovie.”

In between filming movies and her It’s My Party summer tour, Lopez and Rodriguez are also reportedly making plans for their upcoming nuptials. The baseball legend popped the question earlier this year, as the couple enjoyed a nice Caribbean vacation.