Jennifer Lopez says a director asked to see her topless off set

Jennifer Lopez at the "Hustlers" premiere during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.

Jennifer Lopez has said that a director asked her to take her top off behind the scenes of a movie set.

The actor and singer recounted the story during a roundtable interview with Scarlett Johansson, Renee Zellweger, Lupita Nyong'o, Laura Dern and Awkwafina for The Hollywood Reporter, where she said she asserted herself and told him no.

While Lopez stopped short of naming either the film or the director, she did reveal that his request did come during a film in which she was doing nudity.

"He wanted to see my boobs. And I was like, 'We're not on set'. And I said no, I stood up for myself," she said. "But it was so funny because I remember being so panicked (at) the moment.

"And by the way, there was a costume designer in the room with me. So there was another woman in the room and he says this and I said no. Luckily, a little bit of the Bronx came out, and I was like, 'I don't have to show you my – No. On the set, you can see them'.

Lopez said she knew she felt she had to say no to set a boundary so as to not encourage more inappropriate demands.

"That's the thing because if you give in, (at) that moment, all of a sudden that person is off and running, thinking they can do whatever they want. And because I put up a little boundary right there and said no, he laid off and then later on apologised. But the minute he walked out of the room, the costume designer was like, 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry that just happened'."

Lopez's most recent film is the box office hit Hustlers, which is based on the true story of a group of strippers who blackmail their wealthy Wall Street clients.