Jennifer Lopez wanted to be the "girl next door" when she started out.

The 55-year-old pop superstar began her career as an actress but felt that in the early days that there were no typical Hollywood roles for those of her heritage and insisted that it was her own belief that she did "belong" that helped "break those moulds " so that things could move forward.

Speaking on Variety's Award Circuits podcast, she said: "I heard someone say that positive change is slow -- and it is -- but as long as we're moving in the right direction, that's what matters.

"When I started, there weren't a lot of roles for Latinas. I was auditioning for parts with accents and stereotypes. I kept thinking, 'Why can't I just play a romantic lead? Why can't I be the girl next door?' That belief--that conviction that I belonged -- was what helped me break those moulds."

The 'Unstoppable' star came to prominence when she took on the title role of the tragic pop singer in the 1997 biopic 'Selena' before turning to a career in music herself, with hits such as 'Jenny From the Block' and 'Waiting For Tonight' in the early 2000s.

But she has managed to keep a hand in acting, with appearances in 'Marry Me' and 'Shotgun Wedding' in recent years and ahead of two more upcoming films, admitted that she only really does it for the "love of the art" above anything else.

She said: "I do it for the love of the art. It's not about the awards or the accolades. It's about telling stories that matter -- stories that make people feel seen, stories that inspire. That's what keeps me going."