By Marí Estévez, MWN
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, who rekindled their romance a year ago, are getting all the media attention. And the obsession about the couple is expected to grow even more with the release of “Marry Me,” a romantic musical comedy-drama directed by Kat Coiro, which is, in reality, a movie about JLo’s life. Dodging questions about Affleck, the 52-years-old sat with Metro to talk about this production.
Do you still believe in love?
This is all I can do. My character doesn’t have a life or a love like everybody else. And Owen’s character teaches her that there is hope to have real love and a real home, which is what she never had.
Music is a key element of the movie. Was making an album and a movie at the same time challenging for you?
It was such a pleasure that my two worlds collided and came together. Making the album was great because I had the opportunity to decide where, when and what musical moments in the movie shaped my character. They really allowed me to take care of how to develop the elements to make her more real and actually pick the music. Nobody understood the character more than I did, so picking the songs was a pleasure. And then, to have Maluma filling the blanks for his character was perfect. He did such a great job with the two songs that he composed: “1 en 1 Millón” and “Segundo.” I felt we found the characters within the songs.
Life, fame, and love in the public eye can be painful. How much of the character are you?
A lot. This wasn’t a role that I had to do research for. What it was like to be a famous recording artist that does branding and has this life? I understand all that already. I think the difficult part was the meta part which was the idea of showing what is really like inside my bedroom when something goes wrong and you suffer a heartbreak like this in front of the whole world and the media goes down on you and poke fun of you. Some of those moments even include scenes with me and Owen when he is asking, ‘Don’t you want to give up on the whole love thing?’ But this philosophy that she has is very much me. No, if there is a one in a billion chance, it is worth taking the risk.
How can you have a healthy relationship while dealing with all the social media buzz?
It is a real thing that you have to deal with. Before there were tabloids and the press and now there is social media as well, which can be even more anxiety-provoking. I have included this element of what it is like to have heartbreak and a huge embarrassment in front of the world and how the information spreads so quickly. Navigating that as a person in the public eye can be really tricky, especially when difficult things happen in your life, which I don’t wish for anybody.
Can we expect more music from you and Maluma in the future?
It is funny because after the movie we did “Pa ti” and “Lonely.” We will always look for moments to work together because we have great chemistry. “Marry Me” is my favorite duet that I have ever done with anyone. He is a great composer and a great interpreter of songs so I would love to do more duets together.
You have done memorable romantic comedies. Do you think you can revive the genre?
I love them. That is why I’ve done so many throughout my career. Those are my favorite movies of all time, since “When Harry Met Sally…” or any of those movies from the Meg Ryan era or Julia Roberts. I love them so much. I haven’t done one in a few years and this year I did two as I do have another one coming up. So, I’m excited.
Is there a certain element in romantic stories that calls your attention?
It is hard to reinvent the genre every time as you want to make it different from the last time and end with two people together. It is really about how interesting the journey of the couple is and the interaction between the characters.
Can you tell us your favorite song from “Marry Me”?
“On My Way” is such a lively song with all the perfect sentiments. It is a song that everybody could relate to because we all feel that the mistakes we make are so tragic in our lives and this is really so hopeful. I would have to say “On My Way.”
