Jennifer Lopez has had a patchy career in movies, to say the least. Consider her tough gal roles in "Angel Eyes", "The Cell", and "Enough". She's had moderate success playing it softer around the edges in romantic comedies "The Wedding Planner" and "Maid in Manhattan", but gave her best performance by combining the rough with the smooth in Steven Soderbergh's "Out of Sight". She now attempts a similar trick with crime caper/romantic comedy "Gigli", opposite (ex?) fiancΓ© Ben Affleck.
There's a long scene where you're talking about sex with Ben's character whilst doing a yoga routine. Did you do all of that in one take? Because it's pretty impressive...
Oh, I did it from top to bottom every single time we filmed it. I mean, they edited it in their own way, depending on the shots they wanted, close or far away. But each time, whether it was a close-up or a tight shot, we did it every time.
That scene, and the dialogue in that scene, is a big insight into the character of Ricki, isn't it?
I think the key to it was that, just basically, it's about relationships. It's about men and women and what they think about each other. And who they think they are as men, and what they think women are and, you know, the same thing in reverse. I think that's the great thing about this movie. Although it's about this woman who comes into this man's life and basically changes both of them forever, it's also about the underlying bigger picture of who men and women are, and what their roles are.
How comfortable were you with the sexual content in the film, and the bisexuality of the character?
I was fine with it. I thought all of the material was very on point as far as who these people were.
You once said that love scenes are always uncomfortable to do. So, was it easier this time around because you and Ben were friends?
It's always different with everybody. Love scenes are always weird, though. They're always uncomfortable. It's all the people around who make it uncomfortable. It's not usually the actor you're working with, because they usually feel just as weird as you do! It's really about all the people who are there too, you know. I will say that once Ben and I were together, when we did the next movie ["Jersey Girl"] - which was the first time I worked with somebody I was actually in a relationship with - it was much easier to interact. We didn't think about it as much.
Do you think your relationship with Ben can withstand all the pressures of working together?
Absolutely! We don't have a problem working together. That's how we met. We worked together first, then we became friends, and we had a great experience. So the next time we worked together, all those rules were established. It wasn't an issue for us.
You know, of course, that the interest in this movie comes mainly from the fact that life imitated art. How do you feel about that?
That's okay. It's okay that they go see the movie for any reason - as long as they go see the movie! At the end of the day, what I'd like them to do is to leave behind all the things they hear about us and see about us - the sort of things you're inundated with every day - and just really enjoy this movie for what it is. It's a really smart, funny, sexy movie about these three characters, you know, and how they affect each others lives.
So will you and Ben be making more movies together?
I would love to.
