Jennifer Lopez uses “The Way We Were” in new movie because of significance in Ben Affleck romance

"I showed it to him 20 years ago," says Lopez.

Exploring her past loves and losses in This Is Me...Now: A Love Story, Jennifer Lopez ponders the way we were.

This Is Me...Now is a companion film to Lopez's new album of the same name, which lends a narrative story to the record (itself a sequel of sorts to 2002's This Is Me...Then). It follows a fictionalized version of Lopez who grapples with heartbreak and a series of bad relationships, and ultimately comes out with a sense of empowered self-love.

She also uses 1973 weepie The Way We Were in the movie, as her protagonist watches the classic while in the depths of heartbreak. The alternate universe version of Lopez sobs as she watches, reciting the dialogue along with stars Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand.

Lopez could have illustrated her point with any romantic drama, but she chose this one because it has particular significance to her romance with husband Ben Affleck.

"That's one of mine and Ben's favorite movies," she tells EW. "We watched it 20 years ago. I actually showed it to him when we were together last time." That's right, Affleck may be the more vocal cinephile in the family, but it's Lopez who introduced him to this beloved tearjerker.

The Way We Were tells the story of Katie Morosky (Streisand) an anti-war activist, and WASP-y political agnostic, Hubbell Gardiner (Redford). It follows the ups and downs of their romance, strained by their opposing values, over several decades. Given its take on reflecting on the past and its tale of a couple that breaks up and then reconciles for a time, it's a fitting movie for Affleck and Lopez to share as a couple (though, thus far, they're enjoying a far happier ending than Katie and Hubbell).

"It was special to me," Lopez continues of the film. "Plus, I'm a huge Barbra Streisand fan. My mother really imparted [this movie] to me. That was her favorite romantic movie growing up. So it has a lot of significance for me."

The Way We Were isn't the only classic movie that gets an homage in This Is Me...Now. Lopez also pays tribute to Singin' In the Rain with a climactic dance number featuring her, a hummingbird, and an umbrella in the stormy streets of New York City. Before she broke out on In Living Color, Lopez got her start working as a dancer in musical revues and touring productions.

"I love musicals. I always have," she says of the nod to Gene Kelly's most famous number. "It's funny, I wanted to do something in the rain. I didn't want to make it Singin' In the Rain. I wanted to dance with the hummingbird in the rain, and it came out like, 'Oh, it's like Singin' In the Rain. I am singing and dancing in the rain."

"But I love musicals," she concludes. "I feel like everything that I've ever done in my life — whether it's romantic comedies and dramas, growing up on musical theater and in the MTV generation and the golden age of music videos and putting stuff out at that time — all of it's in here. Everything about me. I've never done a project where I got to use everything about myself personally and professionally in one project."

This Is Me...Now: A Love Story is streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

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