Phoebe Waller-Bridge has revealed how one of Jennifer Lopez’s hit songs influenced Fleabag.
The comedy’s creator and star picked up two more prizes for her work on the show’s acclaimed second season at the Critics’ Choice Awards on Sunday.
Fleabag, already a Bafta, Emmy and Golden Globe winning programme, was named best comedy series while Waller-Bridge won best actress in a comedy.
Taking to the stage to accept the show’s prize, the 34-year-old actress thanked Lopez for inspiring a portion of Fleabag.
“This is a bit of a random shout-out,” Waller-Bridge said. “But you have no idea how you can accidentally inspire people just by doing your work and somebody inspired this show in a way that you’ll never know – and that’s J Lo!”
Waller-Bridge told the star-studded audience in Santa Monica, California, she decided the Priest’s favourite song was Jenny From The Block, Lopez’s hit 2002 single.
She said the choice of song “opened the entire character up for me”.
“So, I don’t know where she is, but that’s really genuine, so thank you, thank you J Lo,” Waller-Bridge added.
During the same acceptance speech, Waller-Bridge also thanked her sister and Fleabag composer Isobel Waller-Bridge, saying her music “covered and elevated” the “slightly mediocre bits” of the show.
Waller-Bridge said her sister inserted an Easter egg of sorts for Latin speakers, with “completely filthy” words used in some of the songs.
“So thank you for keeping the DNA of the show right in even to the classiest music possible,” she added.