The Hustlers Cast Took Some Fashion Risks at Their First Press Event

Hustlers is not your average films, and it seems like the fashion the stars wear on the press tour, which kicked off in earnest with a photo call in Los Angeles last night, won’t be your average red carpet style. The star-studded ensemble, which includes Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B,, Keke Palmer, Constance Wu, and Lili Reinhart, looked pretty incredible even as they all took some risks. Lopez wore a full ‘70s-inspired leather look, including a beret, from Australian label Zimmerman; Cardi B sported The Fifth Element-esque vintage Jean Paul Gaultier with Fenty sunglasses; Palmer wore a zebra-print minidress from Italian label Laneus; Wu was in a yellow houndstooth set; and Reinhart was dressed in a dramatic red Roland Mouret halter. Sadly co-stars Julia Stiles and Lizzo weren’t there, but their absence just gives us more to look forward to from the Hustlers promo cycle.

Hustlers, based on an article for New York Magazine by journalist Jessica Pressler, tells the story of a group of New York City strippers who start scamming wealthy customers in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. And the actresses put real-life experiences into the film. Cardi B famously worked as a stripper in New York–but she felt she couldn’t give it her all on the pole for the movie, as during filming she was recovering from a breast augmentation and liposuction. “You know what? I was really mad because let me tell you something–when I did the movie, I just got my titties done and I got lipo, right? So I was like, ‘This is my moment to shine, and I can’t shine because I can’t climb!'” she told Entertainment Tonight. “So I was mad. I was like, ‘God damn it!'”

Lopez got input from fiancée Alex Rodriguez. “When [he asked], ‘What’s your next movie about?’ and I was telling him, he was like, ‘Oh, I know a lot about strip clubs. I can help you,'” she told E!.

“He actually did start telling me, because, you know, sports players, a lot of them, spend a lot of time in strip clubs,” she continued, as Palmer giggled. “He told me how it all works, like how the guys come in the back door.” Lopez also told Entertainment Tonight that watching her performance in the film made her a tad uncomfortable. “When I watched the movie for the first time, I was like, a little bit sick to my stomach. I was like, ‘Oh my God! What are they doing? They are going to kill this guy!'” she said. “They were playing with fire.”

“I’m a by-the-book kind of person. Like, I’m always afraid. I don’t want to jaywalk or anything. They’re going to get me,” Lopez said.

“Jaywalk?” Palmer chimed in. “You’re too much of a goody two shoes.”