To Hide Her Affair with Ben Affleck, J-Lo Used Lord Voldemort Actor as a Decoy
Ralph Fiennes aka Lord Voldemort claims he was “set up” by Jennifer Lopez to keep the paparazzi off her and Affleck’s tail when they just started dating back in 2002.
Having gone through multiple heartbreaks, Jennifer Lopez, one of the brightest diamonds in the Hollywood crown, was trying to stay clear of paparazzi when her love with Ben Affleck started brewing. But since she was always under the spotlight, the actress had to come up with tricks and decoys to maintain her privacy.
2002 was not the easiest year for Jennifer Lopez: her relationship with Affleck just started so she wasn’t certain whether they’d stay together; she was going through a painful divorce with her former backup dancer Cris Judd; and working on a romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan together with Ralph Fiennes. Quite a year that was.
Everything that was going on in Lopez’s life made her a primary target to one too many paparazzi, and while she was going through this hard period, the actress understandably wanted to hide her current romance for as long as it was possible. Being desperate, J-Lo resorted to convincing her co-star to help her.
Ralph Fiennes agreed to play the part of the actress’s romantic interest for the cameras in real life; after all, they were already doing that on the set, so there was little difference for him. Fiennes and Lopez went to a restaurant together and spent some time there, making sure to get caught on camera by relentless paparazzi.
It wasn’t until two decades later, after Lopez and Affleck got back together again and got married, that Ralph revealed their scheme with his Maid in Manhattan co-star. During an interview with ET in 2022, the actor confirmed that he was, in fact, used as a decoy and joked that Jennifer Lopez “set him up” to be perceived as her boyfriend.
"Somehow, the pictures [from the restaurant] were angled so as she's walking away. [It looks like] I'm walking after her. I think it said the next day on The Post, 'It's Ralph!'" Fiennes laughs.
It was pretty wholesome of the actor to help his co-star in distress — and it definitely seems like they had fun while tricking the paparazzi. Fiennes even waited for many years to ensure he didn't break J-Lo’s secret, and after she finally married Ben Affleck, Ralph wished them good luck in their family life.
What a guy, this Voldemort!
Source: ET