Jennifer Lopez Takes on a "Monster"

No, J-Lo isn't fighting aliens or comic book creatures in her new film. It's Jane Fonda as a really difficult mother-in-law to be. Having gone through a lot of difficult changes in her personal life recently with the "Bennifer" fiasco and her marriage to singer Marc Anthony, Jennifer was ready to have a little fun making the romantic comedy romp Monster-in-Law. The actress/singer was happy to chat about her goals, ambitions, upcoming projects, slapping Jane Fonda and running from the paparazzi. At the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, journalists were given a pink wristband by the star's security forces but Jennifer seemed to know nothing about that. From our interview room inside the hotel, we could see a group of photographers lurking behind the potted palms in front.

Picture Jen looking very elegant in high-necked white blouse, jeans and wedge heels. Her jewellery was top class as well; large diamond stud earrings, huge crystal ring, gold bangle bracelets and her large gold wedding band. Her hair was more gold than brown and the pale lip gloss and frost blue eyeshadow completed her low-key look. Okay, let's get the lowdown on all things J-Lo!

TeenHollywood: We hear you all had fun making this film. True?

Jennifer: We really did have a lot of fun. It was the type of set where you actually looked forward to going there every day. There wasn't room in the movie for all the crazy things that we did.

TeenHollywood: Do you relate to your character somehow?

Jennifer: In a way I do because she does do a lot of different things. I think Charlie, my character, is more indecisive about her life, doesn't want to commit to anything. I'm a little bit more decisive about the things I want to do, but we're both creative. We're multi-tasked - both of us, but for different reasons.

TeenHollywood: We hear that you accidentally slapped Jane Fonda in one scene. True?

Jennifer: Yes that was very real. Jane is really tough and I like to think that I'm tough sometimes too. We knew it was a timing thing. You want to catch a rhythm on it. There's a stunt coordinator there, making sure you don't hurt each other. We were slapping each other a lot. I did get her in the eye. She says with my ring but I don't even remember doing it to her. She was like 'look! Blood blister!' I was like 'oh my God, was that me?' But my face was swollen. I've done romantic comedies, and I've gotten to play like the sweet girl struggling but this got me more a little bit into the physical side of comedy and I really enjoyed it.

TeenHollywood: Was it fun to work with a big star like Jane who is returning to films after fifteen years?

Jennifer: One of the great things about working with Jane was it really gave me a glimpse into what it must have been like when movies were different. She worked in a different era where it was more about stories, social issues and a love story all combined into one. Jane would come very prepared. I like to be very prepared. We would run the gamut of trying all these different things and it was a lot of fun making each scene as great as we could with what we had to work with.

TeenHollywood: Michael Vartan was saying that on the set he was astounded at the amount of paparazzi that was getting very aggressive to get to you. Does that kind of thing still bother you?

Jennifer: Well it's just surprising to me how aggressive they are these days. I mean yesterday, on the way home, we almost got into an accident. It's just crazy. It's just getting worse and worse and worse. I feel it's a game, like they're playing cops and robbers and they're spies. I was talking to my assistant and all of a sudden my driver's just taking a left by the police station in Beverly Hills. This car just screeched right in front of us. It was the paparazzi trying to beat the light on the same turn with us. I didn't even realize we were being pursued because I try to block the stuff out a little bit. I don't want to think about being stalked all the time. Nobody likes to hear somebody in the public eye, who they feel makes a lot of money, complain. Nobody writes books about how to deal with it. Maybe I'll do that next.

TeenHollywood: Both Jane and funny Wanda Sykes have some of the best scenes in the film. Did you worry about them getting the attention?

Jennifer: No. No, not at all. I always love when everybody else is bringing their game. Because it's only going to make the movie better. It just makes you work harder. It's competitive in a constructive way. Jane and I really had a great respect for one another and we really got to like each other and know each other. She's a lovely woman. Wanda is so nice and just crazy and funny and you just want to be around her always in between takes because she's that funny. Michael is lovely. It was kind of even.

TeenHollywood: Do you have any trouble on the mother-in-law front now?

Jennifer: Well that's a little private, but I can say this. I've never had any trouble with boyfriends' moms, or any moms of anybody that I've been with, so I've been lucky. They like me.

TeenHollywood: We've talked about the women. What was it like working with hunky Michael Vartan?

Jennifer: Michael always kind of scores in these kinds of roles. You just know if you get Michael Vartan you're lucky because he is just like the perfect boyfriend person, right? He's so sweet. He's very genuine. He's very real. He doesn't have a bunch of phoney airs about him. He speaks French all of a sudden and you're like 'ooooh he speaks French'. There's just something about him that's very kind, I think, and that comes across.

TeenHollywood: But the press didn't try to pair you two up while you were making the movie like they usually do.

Jennifer: Well, I was on my honeymoon and he had a girlfriend at the time.

TeenHollywood: You have so many things going; singing, acting, a clothing line, perfume, restaurants. How do you keep the creativity going with so much on your plate?

Jennifer: It's hard when you have a lot of things going on to kind of get the clear space that you need sometimes to let inspiration happen. It's a difficult task, but I've learned because I do many different things, that there is a time for everything and the most important thing for me has always been acting and my music. That's my first priority. Now I'm getting ready to do a movie in Mexico called Border Town. You have to really mark out the time because I can get very bogged down with the everyday things that come up in all of those different ventures that I'm involved with. It has a little bit to do with passion, a little bit to do with creativity.

TeenHollywood: With all that work, what do you do to relax?

Jennifer: I do nothing. I really love doing nothing. I really love just being at home and taking a couple of days doing nothing; just getting up, being around the house, going outside the back yard, coming back in. There's a lot of travelling. There's a lot of on the phone all the time. There's a lot of looking at papers and reading things and so you don't want to read magazines and you don't want to do anything. You just want to just kind of shut down a little bit.

TeenHollywood: When you were a little kid, who inspired you to believe in yourself - reach for the stars?

Jennifer: I think my mom was very integral in that part of my life because she made us believe that we could do anything. [I was a] Puerto Rican girl from New York. It seems so far-fetched but when people make you believe that you're less afraid to try things. She always was very big on us being independent, not having to depend on any man, not having to depend on anybody, just being able to kind of survive on your own no matter what. And one of the things that went along with that was working hard. And [my parents] were great examples. My dad worked nights most of my life. My mom worked at the school and had a Tupperware job.

TeenHollywood: You're a womanly woman, not a size two. Is that important not to be associated with fad diets?

Jennifer: I'm not your typical size three, very tall and thin type of actress and I think that's always been a good, positive message that I've been able to be associated with. I don't mind making fun of myself. Jane Fonda calling me fat [in the film] I mean she could. She works out and the whole thing. She's eating healthy. I eat extra cake in real life and in the movies. I think it's nice to poke fun at that and know that you can still be attractive and beautiful no matter if you do eat that extra cake.

TeenHollywood: Did you have any input into the make-up or the wardrobe?

Jennifer: Yes, always, I mean that's one of the fun things about acting is you get to build the character from the ground up and always the wardrobe and the hair and the make-up is very important for the look. Once you slip into that, it really makes you feel that you're walking in the shoes of somebody else. It's the same thing if you put on a pair of heels and a sexy dress, the way you walk is very different than if you have your sneakers on and your jeans. It's the same premise as when you're working with a character. I wanted her to have like a little weird whimsyness to her clothing like long dresses with jeans underneath, or whatever it was, to kind of show that she did things just a little different.

TeenHollywood: Is it true that your first professional debut was in Japan as a flower or something.

Jennifer: Yes. Hanna Ha Roo. I had to sing in Japanese, but I learned it phonetically so it was like 'So do wah tukka koo, ooh nee wah oh koo kay koo'. Pretty good huh? [I clap]. I don't know how I remembered that. It was 17 years ago. That's all I remember. I was a dancer in the show and I had to do a little bit of singing.

TeenHollywood: Becoming a big star, was there anything you feel you had to sacrifice to attain the high status?

Jennifer: I think the biggest sacrifice you make when you're in this business is the rest of your life in general. You sacrifice relationships, you sacrifice seeing your family as much as you'd like to, you sacrifice having the kind of the normal pleasures that everybody else takes for granted. I missed out on a lot but it is what it is. I have a lot to be thankful for too.

TeenHollywood: What was it about this movie that attracted you?

Jennifer: I love romantic comedies and I've said this a million times, I love watching them, if I have my choice, you know, I'd rather watch a romantic comedy at home than the great new drama that's out. I know it's silly but I'm very girly that way and so I like making them as well. It's hard to find romantic comedies with some sort of premise that you know is going to be funny that a lot of people can relate to. I just felt in this script with the mother-in-law aspect, there's nothing about it that people are not going to understand; the dynamic between a mother and a son, the dynamic between the [in-laws]. it just lent for a lot of comedy and also a lot of feeling.

TeenHollywood: What is your favourite romantic comedy to watch?

Jennifer: I love When Harry Met Sally because it's like one of the best ones ever made. I love all the things it says about men and women, and, you know, all those dynamics.

TeenHollywood: So you're doing Border Town. What is that about and what else is coming up for you?

Jennifer: Its' about the murders, serial killings going on down there. I play a reporter. And, I'm finally doing Carmen for Universal.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.