3 minutes read
Model claimed Jennifer Lopez asked her boyfriend 'to be single' after filming sex scene with him
Alexandra B.
R&B legend Jennifer Lopez is facing backlash online over her rather forward promotional tactics for her new film.
The ex-girlfriend of Lopez’s former co-star Ryan Guzman, model Melanie Iglesias, has claimed that the pop icon turned actor and her team allegedly pressured Guzman into pretending he was single for a publicity stunt in the hopes of making more at the box office.
In a recent appearance on the No Chaser podcast, Iglesias detailed the behind-the-scenes engineering that went into promoting the 2015 psychological thriller The Boy Next Door.
In the movie, Lopez played a high school teacher who develops an obsession with her 19-year-old neighbor after a one-night stand.
According to Iglesias, because the movie had such a small budget, the marketing team relied heavily on a false narrative off-screen that blurred the lines between fiction and reality.
The 39-year-old model claimed: "She made my ex, oh my God, pretend that he was single to promote the movie.
"The publicists, both of them, called me… so they were at afterparties together, like, holding hands and stuff to promote this."
Lopez publicly denied she knew about her co-star's girlfriend
Much to Iglesias’ dismay, the fabricated single status worked and became perfect tabloid fodder, with fans across the world questioning whether the two co-stars were dating.
In the same episode, Guzman’s ex-girlfriend recalled how painful it was to watch the promotional tour unfold. She claimed that one appearance Lopez made on The Ellen DeGeneres Show was the most painful part.
When host DeGeneres explicitly asked Lopez if she was dating Guzman or if he had a partner, the Jenny from the Block singer slyly replied: "I think he might? I’m not sure. I know he did… I’m not in his business like that."
When DeGeneres joked that there could be a romance, Lopez giggled and said suggestively: "You never know."
Clearly offended by how Lopez allegedly treated her, Iglesias spoke out against the Marry Me star’s televised ignorance over their relationship.
Iglesias: "We friggin' met. What do you mean you don't know if he had a girlfriend? We met. You squeezed the s**t out of my hand."
Does the need to fabricate a real romance mean the movie is not good enough to sell itself
She also suggested that the need to fabricate a relationship to promote a movie proves that the movie can't be that good. Iglesias said: “I also feel like, where’s your faith in the movie? You know what I mean? Why do you have to act like you’re with everyone that you’re in a movie with. … I don’t get it.”
Although it could be seen as morally wrong, the exploitative promotional strategy ultimately worked, as The Boy Next Door earned over $52 million worldwide despite a budget of just $4 million.
However, the PR stunt took a toll on Guzman and Iglesias’ relationship, and the couple split soon after the movie's release.
Jennifer Lopez has never confirmed nor denied the allegations or whether there was any real romantic relationship between the pair.