Jennifer Lopez‘s career may have taken a very different turn early on if she followed up with an idea she had. In a recent interview with W Magazine, Lopez said she once considered stripping before her career took off.

“I did. There was a moment in my life when my friends, who were also dancers, told me about making thousands of dollars at clubs in New Jersey,” she stated. “They said, ‘You won’t need to be topless.’ It sounded awfully good when I was broke and eating pizza every day, but I never did it.”

Lopez then added about her role in Hustlers and why it was a new experience to her. “I was a little nervous about doing this movie because I had never played someone this dark or complicated. I liked that Ramona, the character I play, and the other strippers were looked at as equals to their patrons, the guys on Wall Street.”

“Ramona reminded me of that girlfriend we all have who is exciting but can also get you into trouble,” she continued. “You always miss that friend when she’s gone, but when you get together, you worry you might find yourself in some crazy situation. That’s Ramona.”

Check out the full issue here.