Trevor Noah; Jennifer Lopez; Jane Fonda.Photo:GETTY (3)
GETTY (3)
Jennifer Lopezisn’t the only famous face in her newThis Is Me…Now: A Love StoryAmazon original film!
The star’s ambitious new project — set to her new album of the same name — features a host of famous faces in fun cameo roles, including everyone from husbandBen Affleckto longtime friends likeFat JoeandJane Fonda.
Many of the A-list stars appear as members of the so-called zodiac love council, an astrologically inspired group that meets to dissect Lopez’s love life.
“It was erratic getting there because we shot them one at a time over three months, and the script changed 50 times,” director Dave Meyers tells PEOPLE. “There’s a lot of fun that we have with [them], but they actually serve the story — the character of Jen is going through something, and they’re sort of the voice of checking in on how people are feeling about these steps of her journey.”
Meyers says that wrangling the star-studded group proved difficult, and ultimately came down to scheduling. Then there was the matter of getting them on board with the out-of-the-box concept.
“Most of them were like, ‘What the hell are we doing?’ So it was really fun,” he says. “Fun and terrifying.”
Read on to learn all about the cameos inThis Is Me…Now: A Love Story, which is streaming now on Prime Video.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in Los Angeles on Feb. 13, 2024.Lionel Hahn/WireImage
Lionel Hahn/WireImage
Lopezmarried the Oscar-winning starin 2022, and he appears in the film first as a mysterious love interest (his face is never shown) and again as a newscaster named Rex Stone.
“One of the early thoughts that I was playing with [with] Jen was that we had Ben playing lots of characters, but always in disguise, so it was like he was always ever-present,” says Meyers, who notes the concept came from the idea that Affleck was present in Lopez’s life over the last few decades, even when they weren’t together. “Budget got cut and one thing led to another and it became just one character. And we spread him out throughout the film as this sort of ever-present energy.”
Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah in Los Angeles in February 2023.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
The comedian appears as a member of the zodiac council, making wisecracks with the rest of the group as Libra as they weigh in on Lopez’s romantic follies.
“That was a random call where your phone rings, and it’s Jennifer Lopez, and you’re like, ‘This must be a prank,’” hetold PEOPLE last month. “And she wants you to come and do a cameo in her visual experience, and you’re like, ‘Whoa. I mean, I don’t know what I’m doing, but OK, I’ll join in.’”
Noah added that he didn’t exactly know what to expect from the finished product, as the whole thing was “very secretive,” but he enjoyed his time on set.
“There’s just a fun collection of people who’ve come together to celebrate an icon and somebody who has, across different genres, really just blazed her own trail,” he said. “It was a lot of fun.”
Fat Joe
Fat Joe in Atlanta in October 2023.Johnny Nunez/Getty
Johnny Nunez/Getty
The “Lean Back” rapper appears throughout the film as Lopez’s therapist.
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda in San Francisco in June 2023.Dana Jacobs/Getty Images
Dana Jacobs/Getty Images
The legendary actress joins Noah on the zodiac council, playing Sagittarius.
Lopez and Fonda first forged a friendship in 2005, when they co-starred in the movieMonster-in-Law, and it was Fonda who introduced the “Can’t Get Enough” singer when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.
Kim Petras
Kim Petras in Austin in September 2023.Renee Dominguez/Getty
Renee Dominguez/Getty
The pop star is also a member of the zodiac council, as Virgo.
Though it doesn’t appear she and Lopez have worked together in the past, Lopez once called her “the moment” on X (formerly Twitter) after Petras was honored with the Chartbreaker Award at the 2023BillboardWomen in Music event.
Post Malone
Post Malone in Los Angeles in February 2019.Steve Granitz/WireImage
Steve Granitz/WireImage
The “Circles” singer, as Leo, appears as a member of the zodiac council, too.
In July, when Malone released his albumAustin, Lopez praised it X, congratulating the star and nothing that “Enough Is Enough” was her “favorite song.”
Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer in Los Angeles in May 2023.Rebecca Sapp/Getty
Rebecca Sapp/Getty
Palmer joins the cast in a cameo as Scorpio, a member of the zodiac council.
“I loved being apart [sic] of this vision, thank you @jlo,” Palmer wrote on Instagram. “You continue to inspire me with your dynamic career. You have always told stories and this next chapter you’re sharing is one for the books. As always I am learning not only from you as an artist and friend, but a woman and mother. Thank you for never giving up and for always thriving!!”
Derek Hough
Derek Hough in Los Angeles in January 2024.JC Olivera/Variety via Getty
JC Olivera/Variety via Getty
Lopez learns the hard way in the film that the third time isn’t the charm when it comes to marriage. Hough plays one of three husbands in a zany, whirlwind wedding sequence.
Sofía Vergara
Sofia Vergara in Madrid in January 2024.Jose Oliva/Europa Press via Getty
Jose Oliva/Europa Press via Getty
The actress plays Cancer on the zodiac council.
“It was scripted — everything was scripted!” Meyers reveals. “There’s very little improv [in the film].”
Jenifer Lewis
Jenifer Lewis in West Hollywood in April 2022.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty
The legendary actress is on board playing Gemini on the council.
Jay Shetty
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez; Jay Shetty.Steve Granitz/FilmMagic, Amy Sussman/Getty
Shetty, an author and podcast host, plays Aries on the zodiac council.
He’s also a close pal of Lopez’s, havingserved as the officiantfor her 2022 wedding to Affleck.
“It was absolutely beautiful,” he toldEntertainment Tonight, calling it an “honor” to have led the ceremony. “It was truly special — it’s beautiful to celebrate love.”
Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Neil DeGrasse Tyson in New York City in 2018.Roy Rochlin/Getty
Who better than to help explain the ways of the world than famed astrophysicist Tyson? Tyson plays Taurus, who acts as a voice of reason on the council.
Sadhguru
Sadhguru in Madrid in October 2023.Juan Barbosa/Europa Press via Getty
Juan Barbosa/Europa Press via Getty
Sadhguru plays Pisces. He is the founder and head of the Isha Foundation, a yoga nonprofit in India.
source: people.com
