Jennifer Lopez has had a long and wildly successful career as both a pop star and actress, with many of her most iconic movie roles being in romantic comedies. She’s once again returned to the genre with Jason Moore’s Shotgun Wedding (see the reviews here), which has a uniquely action-heavy twist. JLo leads an all-star cast, which includes recent Emmy winner Jennifer Coolidge as the gun-wielding mother of the groom (Josh Duhamel). And the cast of Shotgun Wedding spoke to CinemaBlend about the soggy struggles of shooting in a pool for weeks at a time.
The action of Shotgun Wedding comes in when an armed group of pirates take over a destination wedding, taking the guests hostage. They’re kept in an infinity pool during this time, with most of the cast spending the majority of the movie fully dressed, and wet from the torso down. As you can see in the video above, I had the joy of speaking with the cast of Shotgun Wedding prior to its release, where they shared what it was during those long, grueling hours. Jennifer Coolidge started things off in a positive light, saying:
Well, the people were amazing.
Indeed, the cast of Shotgun Wedding seems to have great chemistry. And given the close (wet) proximity of the star-filled cast, having good people was no doubt key to its success. So while they spent a great deal of time wet in a pool, it sounds like the ensemble was able to have a good time. What’s more, they each get their time to shine throughout the movie’s runtime.
Actor Steve Coulter plays Jennifer Coolidge’s husband Larry in Shotgun Wedding, and I had the privilege of speaking with him two different times about his experience working on the wild rom-com. He got got into the reality of spending so much time in that same pool, saying:
You’re in the Caribbean, it was an infinity pool, so you’re looking out on the ocean. But the pool itself, they stopped filtering it and there’s two dozen people in there for two weeks. Sunscreen and memories just floating on the surface. So it got a little dicey there.
While being trapped at a resort pool sounds like a dream for many, the reality of actually filming so much of Shotgun Wedding there is another thing entirely. Especially since it wasn’t being filtered, and the cast was in full hair, makeup, and sunscreen. But this makes a great deal of sense, as the filter would no doubt mess up the movie’s sound.
Another standout performer in Shotgun Wedding is The Good Place’s D’Arcy Carden, who plays the younger girlfriend of JLo’s father (Cheech Marin). She also acknowledged how beautiful the shooting location for the movie was, while sharing just how long they all spent in that damn pool:
It was days and weeks on end. We were very aware of the privilege of where we were, and that it was this beautiful location and all that stuff. But we were soggy.
In the end these soggy efforts were worth it, as the ensemble pool scenes in Shotgun Wedding feature some of the funniest moments of the entire movie. And being able to see the reaction of so many characters (played by familiar faces) helps to keep the already well paced rom-com buoyed. Pun intended.
Shotgun Wedding is streaming now on Amazon. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. As for JLo, she’s going to keep busy with her deal with Netflix.
