Jennifer Lynn Lopez

During the process of creating her second album, Lopez decided to tweak her image as she began to develop into a sex symbol. She changed her stage name to J.Lo, a nickname she was given by her fans. She subsequently named the album J.Lo, which was released on January 23, 2001. The record was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the United States Billboard 200. This exact week, her romantic comedy film The Wedding Planner in which she starred opposite Matthew McConaughey, opened atop the box office. This made her the first entertainer to have a number one film and album simultaneously. The album initially spawned the hit singles "Love Don't Cost a Thing" and "Play". April 2001 saw the public launch of J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez, her own clothing and accessory company which specialized in clothing females of all shapes. That May, Lopez starred in the romantic drama film Angel Eyes, which performed disappointingly at the box office and generated mixed reviews. In July, an urban oriented "Murder remix" of the track "I'm Real" featuring Ja Rule was released. The remix reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Following the September 11 attacks, Lopez was heavily involved in charitable activities. Joining various other artists, she was featured on charitable singles such as "What's Going On" and "El Ultimo Adios (The Last Goodbye)" which benefited people affected by the tragedy.
To enhance Lopez's success in the urban market, promotion of J.Lo ended and a remix album titled J to tha L–O! The Remixes was released on February 5, 2002. Its lead single was "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)", which also featured Ja Rule, which reached number one in the United States. The remix album debuted at the summit of the Billboard 200, becoming the first to do so. It is the third highest selling remix album in history, with sales of one and a half million in the United States. J to tha L–O! The Remixes spawned two other singles, "I'm Gonna Be Alright" and "Alive", a ballad co-written by her husband at the time, Cris Judd. April 2002 saw Lopez open her restaurant, Madrè's.
In May 2002, Lopez starred in the thriller film Enough as a woman named Slim who flees her home after being abused by her husband. The film grossed a modest $52 million at the box office, though garnered lukewarm reviews, despite being dubbed a "kick-butt, female empowerment" movie. Filming Enough required an overworked Lopez to practice Krav Maga, and despite being at the height of her fame at the time, she suffered a nervous breakdown while on set. Lopez recalled years later feeling "sick and weird", refusing therapeutic help or medication. She confessed, "I was like – I don't want to move, I don't want to talk, I don't want to do anything." In September, Lopez released her first fragrance, Glow by JLo. It performed strongly despite predictions that it would fail, and became America's top-selling fragrance.
The month of her engagement to actor Ben Affleck saw the release of her third studio album, This Is Me... Then, which was dedicated to him. It spawned the internationally successful singles "Jenny from the Block" and "All I Have". The album itself, which featured multiple love songs, performed strongly, having sold over two and a half million copies in the United States. December 2002 saw Lopez star opposite Ralph Fiennes in the romantic comedy film Maid in Manhattan. She played Marisa Ventura, a struggling single mother who lives in the Bronx and makes her living cleaning rooms in a super-luxurious Manhattan hotel. Marisa gets mistaken for a socialite by a princely politician, who she falls in love with. With a production budget of $55 million, the film grossed $155 million at the box office worldwide. The New York Times compared the film's storyline to her song "Jenny from the Block".