Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez says playing New York police officer Harlee Santos on NBC’s crime drama Shades of Blue has taught her to appreciate the “difficult” job of a law enforcement officer.
“Oh yeah, whenever you play a character you have to love them in a sense and understand them completely,” Lopez said on the red carpet during the show’s recent premiere, according to the New York Daily News. “Being in law enforcement and having to keep the peace, all that it entails is so difficult, it’s such a hard life.”
On the police procedural, Lopez’s character is a single mother who is tasked with working in the FBI’s anti-corruption task force.
The 47-year-old Golden Globe nominee says she understands that police work is hard for every cop trying to do what’s right.
“What’s a good cop, what’s a bad cop?” she asked. “It’s difficult, I think, for them.”
The primetime police drama, for which Lopez also serves as executive producer, was renewed for a second season last month.
Shades of Blue airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on NBC.
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