Jennifer Lopez says Office Romance role let her play ‘something very different’

By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

Jennifer Lopez has said her film with Brett Goldstein gave her the “opportunity” to move away from playing lower status romcom roles and step into something “very different”.

The 56-year-old singer, known for her singles Jenny From The Block and Waiting For Tonight, stars alongside the Ted Lasso actor in new romcom Office Romance.

The film follows Jackie (Lopez) a formidable chief executive of an airline who reluctantly falls in love with the company lawyer she hired, Daniel (Goldstein), after setting a strict no dating policy for all her employees.

The film was co-written by Goldstein for Lopez, who is known for starring in a number of beloved romcoms including 2002’s Maid In Manhattan where she plays a hotel cleaner, only this time her character would be a “successful” boss.

Speaking about the significance of playing a role that departs from traditional romcom gender stereotypes, she told the Press Association: “When you’re looking for a romantic comedy to act in, you want something that gives a different story, that gives you a different role to play.

“I’ve played that girl many times and this gave me the opportunity to do something very different.”

Lopez also warned fans “don’t get fired” if they choose to follow in her and Goldstein’s characters’ steps and pursue an office romance.

Ted Lasso co-creator Joe Kelly wrote the Netflix film alongside Goldstein with the pair wanting to create a role for Lopez where she was “happy” rather than always “aspiring for something”.

Goldstein said: “Me and Joe Kelly, who wrote the film, we wrote it for her.

“I’m a huge fan. I don’t know if anyone’s aware of that.

“I’d seen all her romcoms, but in all her romcoms previously, she’s always lower status, working girl, aspiring to something, and I thought we wanted to do like a love letter to workaholics and make something where she’s the boss now and she’s successful and she’s happy, and her life is good.

“The problem with being a workaholic, I’m told, is that it also stops you from letting in love.”

Lopez wore a black bedazzled dress with a bright pink satin skirt and posed for photographs alongside Goldstein who whore a navy suit.

Director Ol Parker, who was behind Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again praised Lopez for being “just amazing” and a “sweetheart”.

He said: “It was a very easy process for me because she’s astonishing and she’s also a sweetheart, which was a slight surprise to me, and a really happy thing.”

The filmmaker also celebrated the genre for giving viewers something “reassuring and happy” especially during turbulent times.

He said: “I think these are difficult, confusing times, and we don’t know how things are working out. And the lovely thing about a romcom is you know exactly what the ending is going to be.

“Just the journey itself is fun, and at the moment, in these difficult, confusing times, I think it’s really nice to watch something reassuring and happy, and about love. And this has never been more needed than now.

“If you make people laugh and make people laugh in a room together, there’s nothing more beautiful. There’s nothing more fun.”

The Netflix film also stars Doctor Who actress Jodi Whitaker who plays Daniel’s jailbird sister, Lizzy, along with Glow actress Betty Gilpin, Is This Thing On’s Amy Sedaris, Arrested Development actor Tony Hale and The West Wing star Bradley Whitford.

Lopez also reunited with Edward James Olmos, who plays her father in the film, nearly three decades after playing her father in the 1997 musical biopic Selena.

Goldstein is best known for playing Roy Kent in the football series alongside Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham.

Alongside her acting career, Lopez is known for her music with three number one UK singles including Get Right, On The Floor, and Love Don’t Cost A Thing.

Office Romance will be available to stream on Netflix from Friday, June 5th.