Jennifer Lopez has had a very difficult life. Her personal and romantic life has been filled with heartbreaks and disappointment. She was in the middle of a very painful divorce while she was doing a romantic comedy film with Ralph Fiennes in 2002. This was also the time she was having an affair with her future husband, Ben Affleck.

However, to keep the paparazzi and press guessing and oblivious to her budding romance, she used Fiennes as a decoy to draw attention away from the real romance that was brewing between her and the Batman star. This ingenious and clever trick to hide what was precious to her goes on to show how smart and intelligent Lopez is.

Ralph Fiennes Played A Decoy to Hide Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck’s Affair

Ralph Fiennes and Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is a true Hollywood multi-hyphenate the industry needs in the long run. The singer-actor is one of the greatest artists of all time, charming millions of fans with her incredible musical and cinematic talents.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
She is married to actor Ben Affleck, whom she first met in 2002 on the set of their shared movie Gigli, and at the time J.Lo was finalizing her divorce from her second husband, Cris Judd, but she became good friends with Affleck and began dating him. However, the couple called it quits in 2004.

The pair spotted together and left their fans in shock by reuniting 20 years later in 2021 and tying the knot in 2022. Lopez has worked with enough A-list stars in the industry, including Ralph Fiennes. She starred opposite him in the 2002 American romantic comedy-drama Maid in Manhattan, in which she played his love interest. The actor once revealed he helped his co-star hide her romance when she was dating the Paycheck movie star.

Ralph Fiennes Helped Jennifer Lopez During Her Affair With Ben Affleck

Ralph Fiennes, Jennifer Lopez, and Ben Affleck
While filming this movie, Jennifer Lopez was dating her future husband and wanted to keep it a secret. Her team planned a dinner at Cipriani’s in Soho and asked Ralph Fiennes to join her, and it was a trick so the media attention would shift from her and Affleck’s affair.

After the dinner, her co-star and Lopez got papped while he kissed her cheek to say goodbye. The Menu movie star once said on Watch What Happens Live that he played a decoy between J.Lo and Ben Affleck’s romance in 2002.

Andy Cohen asked Fiennes if he played a decoy in their relationship, to which the actor replied, “I was, I was.” The host continued, “Really? Because you were shooting Maid in Manhattan while they were dating?”

Lopez’s co-star confirmed, “Yeah, yeah, I was set up,” the actor recalled the dinner date her team set up for them and after which their pictures got viral,
“Somehow, the pictures were angled so as she’s walking away. [It looks like] I’m walking after her. I think it said the next day on The Post, ‘It’s Ralph!’”
Jennifer Lopez has delivered many record-smashing albums in her storied career as one of the best singers in the world, and her contribution to American cinema is no less! She has earned many critically acclaimed awards for her power-packed performances across all genres of projects, proving her versatility as an artist.

Source: ET