An unexpected love story! The film Maid in Manhattan has been captivating rom-com lovers for the past 20 years.
In the 2002 movie, Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) plays a single mother who works as a maid in a fancy Manhattan hotel and dreams of a better life for her son Ty (Tyler Posey). She meets Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), the heir to a political dynasty, who winds up thinking that Marisa is a guest at the hotel. After one romantic evening together, the pair fall in love. However, once Marisa’s identity is revealed, they both realize that they both come from very different worlds.
Maid in Manhattan is loosely based on a true story of Steven Clark, son of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who married Anne-Marie Rasmussen, a maid who worked at the family hotel, in 1959.
Twenty years after the movie hit theaters, Fiennes revealed that while filming Maid in Manhattan, he was caught with Lopez by the paparazzi and ended up acting as a decoy to the public to hide the early days of her and Ben Affleck’s relationship.
“I was set up,” the Grand Budapest Hotel actor shared during a November 2022 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “I was asked out to dinner with J. Lo and her manager and her agent … We had a nice dinner, chatty chatty chatty … [Afterward,] I think I was walking home, but [we gave each other a] peck on the cheek goodnight.”
Suddenly, a paparazzi popped out and took a photo of the duo. “But somehow, the pictures were angled so that as she’s walking away, [it looks like] I’m walking after her. And I think it said the next day [in the New York] Post, ‘It’s Ralph!’,” Fiennes explained.
Posey, for his part, spoke about meeting Affleck when the Boston native and Lopez were first dating.
“So when a movie comes out, there’s a thing called a press junket where you go do interviews, sit down in a room in a hotel room, and you just go from room to room and do a bunch of interviews,” the Teen Wolf alum told Entertainment Tonight in September 2021. “And [Affleck] was with [Lopez] at that time. And he was the sweetest dude ever. I loved him so much. I was like, ‘I don’t know what to expect in this guy. He’s a huge star. Why would he have time for me?’ And he was so nice to me, man.”
When Posey heard that Affleck and Lopez were back together in 2021, he was supportive of the pair.
“They’re both awesome people. I respect the hell out of them and they’re great actors,” he said at the time. “And they’re a power couple. All for it.”
Posey and the In Living Color alum reunited at the Teen Choice Awards in 2014.
“I know we haven’t seen each other since Maid in Manhattan, which was forever ago,” the Truth or Dare star said while on stage. “But I thought that maybe if you needed a backup dancer, I’d fit. What do you think?”
After Posey started dancing, Lopez chimed in: “If I say yes, will you stop?” She then told the audience, “It’s crazy, he’s so big!”
Scroll down to see what the cast of Maid in Manhattan has been up to since 2002:
An unexpected love story! The film Maid in Manhattan has been captivating rom-com lovers for the past 20 years. In the 2002 movie, Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) plays a single mother who works as a maid in a fancy Manhattan hotel and dreams of a better life for her son Ty (Tyler Posey). She meets Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), the heir to a political dynasty, who winds up thinking that Marisa is a guest at the hotel. After one romantic evening together, the pair fall in love. However, once Marisa’s identity is revealed, they both realize that they both come from very different worlds. Maid in Manhattan is loosely based on a true story of Steven Clark, son of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who married Anne-Marie Rasmussen, a maid who worked at the family hotel, in 1959. Twenty years after the movie hit theaters, Fiennes revealed that while filming Maid in Manhattan, he was caught with Lopez by the paparazzi and ended up acting as a decoy to the public to hide the early days of her and Ben Affleck’s relationship. “I was set up,” the Grand Budapest Hotel actor shared during a November 2022 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “I was asked out to dinner with J. Lo and her manager and her agent … We had a nice dinner, chatty chatty chatty … [Afterward,] I think I was walking home, but [we gave each other a] peck on the cheek goodnight.” Suddenly, a paparazzi popped out and took a photo of the duo. “But somehow, the pictures were angled so that as she’s walking away, [it looks like] I’m walking after her. And I think it said the next day [in the New York] Post, ‘It’s Ralph!’,” Fiennes explained. Posey, for his part, spoke about meeting Affleck when the Boston native and Lopez were first dating. [jwplayer vwfereqZ-zhNYySv2] “So when a movie comes out, there’s a thing called a press junket where you go do interviews, sit down in a room in a hotel room, and you just go from room to room and do a bunch of interviews,” the Teen Wolf alum told Entertainment Tonight in September 2021. “And [Affleck] was with [Lopez] at that time. And he was the sweetest dude ever. I loved him so much. I was like, ‘I don’t know what to expect in this guy. He’s a huge star. Why would he have time for me?’ And he was so nice to me, man.” When Posey heard that Affleck and Lopez were back together in 2021, he was supportive of the pair. “They’re both awesome people. I respect the hell out of them and they’re great actors,” he said at the time. “And they’re a power couple. All for it.” Posey and the In Living Color alum reunited at the Teen Choice Awards in 2014. “I know we haven’t seen each other since Maid in Manhattan, which was forever ago,” the Truth or Dare star said while on stage. “But I thought that maybe if you needed a backup dancer, I’d fit. What do you think?” After Posey started dancing, Lopez chimed in: “If I say yes, will you stop?” She then told the audience, “It’s crazy, he’s so big!” Scroll down to see what the cast of Maid in Manhattan has been up to since 2002:
Credit: Kristin Callahan/Shutterstock and Barry Wetcher/Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock
Jennifer Lopez
Lopez went on to star in several romantic comedy films including Gigli, Shall We Dance? and Monster-in-Law. After some box office failures and her fifth studio album in 2007, the award-winning singer began appearing as a judge on American Idol from 2011 to its end in 2020. The “On the Floor” singer went on to have not only a successful music career, but also a successful acting career. In 2019, Lopez starred and served as an executive producer for the film Hustlers, which was regarded as Lopez’s comeback to the big screen.
In mid-2021, the Grammy award-winning artist signed a deal with Netflix to produce a range of films and TV shows. Since then, she has starred in and produced films such as the box-office success Marry Me and the Netflix documentary Jennifer Lopez: Halftime. In addition to filming several more movies in 2023, she is also working on a new album This Is Me… Now.
Meanwhile, after Lopez ended her engagement with Affleck in 2004, she went on to marry singer Marc Anthony from 2004 to 2014, with whom she welcomed twins Max and Emme in February 2008. The “Jenny From The Block” singer went on to date Alex Rodriguez from 2017 to 2021. In April 2021, Lopez and Affleck were reported to be dating again, and one year later, they announced their second engagement. The two tied the knot in July 2022.
Credit: Alan Davidson/Shutterstock and Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
Ralph Fiennes
After appearing in Maid in Manhattan as Lopez’s love interest, The Schindler’s List star went on to star in several other notable films including portraying Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series and playing the head of MI6 in the James Bond series in Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die. Fiennes made his directorial debut in 2011 with Coriolanus and went on to win the Stanislavsky Award for his work behind the camera in 2019.
Fiennes is also a seasoned theater actor, and in 2021, he returned to the stage in David Hare’s play Straight Line Crazy in London. After rave reviews, the production made its New York stage debut, Off-Broadway, in 2022. The White Crow director also starred in the comedy horror The Menu in 2022 and is set to reunite with director Wes Anderson in the film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar in 2023.
In his personal life, the Broadway actor married Alex Kingston in 1993. However, the twosome separated in 1997 following his affair with Francesca Annis. Fiennes and Annis dated until February 2006.
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock and Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Tyler Posey
Posey played the son of single mother Marisa in the romantic comedy. He went on to star in the MTV series Teen Wolf, Truth or Dare, Scream and Fast & Furious: Spy Racers. The Doc alum also has been a guitarist and vocalist for multiple bands including Disappearing Jamie from 2012 to 2013 and PVMNTS from 2018 to 2019. He started his own band, Five North, and the band released their debut EP Scumbag in March 2020. Posey also produced and starred in Teen Wolf: The Movie which will release in January 2023.
The guitarist split from his high-school sweetheart Seanna Gorlick in July 2013, and he was later linked to Bella Thorne in 2016 and Sophia Ali from 2017 to 2019. Posey went public with his relationship with the musician Phem in February 2021. The actor opened up about his sexuality in an interview with NME in July 2021, explaining that he considers himself to be sexually fluid.
Credit: Alan Davidson/Shutterstock and Gregory Pace/BEI/Shutterstock
Natasha Richardson
In the film, Richardson played the socialite Caroline Lane who convinces Marisa to try on her Dolce & Gabbana coat. The English actress, who is the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson, went on to star in several films before her death including Asylum, The White Countess, Evening, Wild Child and The Wildest Dream. The Parent Trap star also had a successful theater career as well including winning a Tony in 1998 for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in Cabaret. In 2005, she appeared as Blanche DuBois in the revival of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Richardson married filmmaker Robert Fox from 1990 to 1992. Two years later, the Widows’ Peak star married actor Liam Neeson and the two welcomed sons Micheál in 1995 and Daniel in 1996. She remained with Neeson until her death from an epidural hematoma after a skiing accident in March 2009.
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock and Nils Jorgensen/Shutterstock
Stanley Tucci
Tucci played Christopher Marshall’s assistant in the 2002 film. The Prizzi’s Honor actor went onto star in several major motion pictures including Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal, The Devil Wears Prada, The Lovely Bones, Julie & Julia, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Hunger Games series and Beauty and the Beast. The five-time Emmy award actor has also worked and directed for TV for series such as Limetown, ER, 3 Lbs, Monk and Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. Tucci has released two books — The Tucci Cookbook in 2012 and the memoir Taste My Life Through Food in 2021.
The Supernova star revealed in September 2021 that he had been diagnosed with oral cancer three years ago and had received treatment for the tumor. He was told the cancer was gone.
Tucci married first wife, Kathryn Spath, in 1995 and welcomed three children together: Camilla, Nicolo and Isabel. Spath died from breast cancer in 2009. The Broadway actor married Felicity Blunt in 2012, and the couple share son Matteo Oliver and daughter Emilia Giovanna.
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Marissa Matrone
In Maid in Manhattan, Matrone played Marisa’s coworker Stephanie Kehoe. She is also known for her roles in Will & Grace, ER, Law & Order, Damages, Nurse Jackie and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Matrone also starred as Dr. Margaret Baker in the NBC series New Amsterdam.
Credit: Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock k
Bob Hoskins
The hotel’s head butler, Lionel Bloch, was played by the English actor. The Pennies from Heaven alum went on to star in Hollywoodland, Mrs. Henderson Presents, A Christmas Carol, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Street and Search of La Che. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in his film Mona Lisa in 1987.
Hoskins was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2011 and retired from acting a year later. In April 2014, he died from pneumonia at age 71. Hoskins is survived by his second wife Linda Banwell whom he married in 1967 and his four children: Alex and Sarah (who he welcomed during his first marriage to Jane Livesey) as well as Rosa and Jack (whom he shared with Banwell).
Credit: Patrick Rideaux/Shutterstock and John Salangsang/AFI/Shutterstock
Frances Conroy
The award-winning actress had a supporting role in Maid in Manhattan as Marisa’s boss Paula Burns. She went onto have a very successful television career starring in series such as Six Feet Under, American Horror Story, Casual, The Mist, Desperate Housewives and How I Met Your Mother. The Joker actress earned the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Drama in 2004, along with four Emmy nominations, for Six Feet Under. Conroy appeared in the critically acclaimed film The Power of the Dog in 2021, and she won her first Satellite Award for it.
Conroy was married to Jonathan Furst until their separation in the late 1980s. She married actor Jan Munroe in 1992.
Credit: Bob D’Amico/42 Pound Prods/Dreamworks Tv/Ewh3 Prods/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock
Chris Eigeman
The Denver native starred as the hotel’s manager John Bextrum in the early 2000s rom-com. The Kicking and Screaming actor has appeared in many films and shows including Crazy Little Thing, The Treatment, It’s Like, You Know…, Gilmore Girls, Malcolm in the Middle, Fringe and Girls. Eigeman made his directorial and writing debut with the film Turn the River in 2007. He also appeared on a couple of episodes of the Prime original The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in 2022.
Eigeman married Linda Eigeman in 1993 and welcomed their son in 2008.
Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock and Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Amy Sedaris
The actress, writer and comedian appeared as Rachel Hoffberg, the socialite Caroline Lane’s friend, in Maid in Manhattan. She is best known for her roles in the television shows The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, The Heart, She Holler, BoJack Horseman, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and At Home with Amy Sedaris. Sedaris has also starred in films such as School of Rock, Elf, Bewitched, Chicken Little, Shrek the Third, Jennifer’s Body, Puss in Boots, Chef, Handsome and The Lion King.
Along with acting, Sedaris has written several articles for various national publications and is the author of three best-selling novels.
The actress dated Paul Dinello for eight years until the late 1990s.
Credit: Carolyn Contino/BEI/Shutterstock and Andrew H Walker/Shutterstock
Priscilla Lopez
Before Lopez played the mother of Marisa in the rom-com, she created the role of Diana Morales in the 1975 musical A Chorus Line. After the film, Lopez returned to her Broadway roots and appeared in the play Anna in the Tropics in 2003. From 2008 to 2011, she starred in the Broadway show In the Heights and from July to August 2014 she performed in the revival of Pippin. Some of her television and film work includes Tony & Tina’s Wedding, Musical Chairs, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Coldest Case, Sleeping with the Fishes and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.
Lopez married Vincent Fanuele in 1971 and the couple shared daughter Gabriella and son Alex.
Leave a comment