Jennifer Lopez Pays Sweet Tribute Her ‘Girl From The Bronx’ In Maid In Manhattan, But It’s The First Comment That Got Me

Jennifer Lopez in a maid uniform talking to Ralph Fiennes in Maid in Manhattan
(Image credit: Sony)

Jennifer Lopez's romantic comedies are some of the multi-hyphenate's best acting work, and remain just one part of the global superstar's impact on pop culture. She's in some of the best romantic comedies ever, including recent credits like Marry Me and Shotgun Wedding (the latter of which is streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription). She recently posted a sweet tribute on social media about Maid in Manhattan, although it's a top comment that's really getting me.

While Jennifer Lopez is fitness goals and basically doesn't age, Maid in Manhattan was actually released back in 2002. It's hard to believe that beloved rom-com is over 20 years old, but here we are. JLo posted a throwback on her Instagram, where she spoke about how she helped to craft the character of Marisa. In her words:

Twenty-something years later and I still think about Marisa Ventura. A single mom who moved through marble lobbies and thread-count sheets that weren’t hers…but carried herself like they could be. Maid in Manhattan started as a script called The Chambermaid. @egt239 and I reached out to Wayne Wang and together we dreamed up a girl with her nose pressed to the snow globe of Manhattan. A girl from the Bronx, playing a girl from the Bronx, who dared to dream bigger than her zip code

Isn't is fascinating to learn how the sausage gets made? It's hard to imagine anyone else playing JLO's role in Maid in Manhattan, as well as what the project would have looked like without her contributions. The movie ended up being a box office success, and is one of the "Lets Get Loud" singer's most iconic rom-coms of all time.

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Lopez was paired with Ralph Fiennes for the movie, and for years, fans have been hoping to see a possible sequel sometime in the future. Indeed, an Instagram user shared the following on her Instagram post:

The world needs a part 2.

That comment has over 2k likes at the time of writing this story, so clearly, there are plenty of fans who agree. Earlier this year, Jennifer Lopez posted about Ralph Fiennes, saying, "I hope I get to do it again someday soon for Maid in Manhattan 2…You never know." Clearly, she'd like an onscreen reunion with the Harry Potter star, so let's keep our fingers crossed that one day Maid in Manhattan gets a long-awaited sequel. I mean, who doesn't want to see more of this dynamic duo?

Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) and Christopher "Chris" Marshall (Ralph Fiennes) reintroduce themselves in Maid in Manhattan

(Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

Jennifer Lopez shared her tribute to her whopping 245 million followers on Instagram, and if that mass of fans makes their voices known, perhaps we can finally see a follow-up to Maid in Manhattan. A number of rom-coms have gotten sequels over the years, so why not let JLo and Ralph Fiennes share the screen together again?

For now, Lopez is attached to a number of projects that are on the 2026 movie release list and beyond. She's one of the most iconic romantic comedy stars of all time, so we'll have to see if another Maid in Manhattan ever actually happens.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

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