Ralph Fiennes Says He Was a 'Decoy' for Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's First Romance

Ralph Fiennes had an unintentional role in Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's romance. The 59-year-old British actor played Lopez's love interest in the 2002 film Maid in Manhattan.

The filming for the romantic comedy took place in 2002 as Lopez was in the process of divorcing dancer Cris Judd. At the time she was secretly seeing Affleck, and Fiennes says he was used as a decoy for Lopez and Affleck's initial romance.

"Were you a decoy for their [relationship]?" Andy Cohen asks Fiennes on Tuesday's episode of Watch What Happens Live after a fan questioned Fiennes about the return of Bennifer.

"I was, I was," Fiennes confirms.

"Really? Because you were shooting Maid in Manhattan while they were dating?" Cohen asks.

"Yeah, yeah, I was set up," Fiennes says.

The Oscar-winning actor says he "was asked out to dinner" at Cipriani's in Soho by Lopez and her team.

Noting that they "had a nice dinner," Fiennes says he went to give Lopez a double cheek kiss goodbye when paparazzi snapped their photo.

"Somehow the pictures were angled so as she's walking away. [It looks like] I'm walking after her," Fiennes says, laughing. "I think it said next day on The Post, 'It's Ralph!'"

As for his reaction to the newlywed couple, who tied the knot this past summer after rekindling their romance, Fiennes says, "My reaction is good luck to them."

Affleck and Lopez initially got engaged in late 2002 before splitting in 2004. They rekindled their romance in 2021 following Lopez's split from ex-fiancé, Alex Rodriguez. Lopez and Affleck tied the knot in two ceremonies this summer.

For more on Lopez and Affleck's romance, watch the clip below.

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