Jennifer Lopez And Jane Fonda’s Slap Scene In ‘Monster-In-Law’ Wasn’t Supposed To Happen

With numerous movies under their respective belts, Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda are pros when it comes to filming scenes. But sometimes, even veteran actresses can get carried away in the heat of the moment, such as what happened when they filmed a scene in “Monster-In-Law.”

There was a scene in the 2005 romantic comedy where Lopez’s character confronted Fonda’s character for interfering in her wedding to the latter’s on-screen son, played by actor Michael Vartan. Then the confrontation heated up, and what started as a poke escalated into a full-blown slapping session.

At first, Lopez was hesitant in filming the scene. “I was so afraid to hit Jane Fonda on the face or hurt her in any way,” she revealed in a video she posted on YouTube. “Her character was very much like her. And my character at that time was very much like me.”

But Fonda assured her that it won’t be a problem at all. “I was so afraid of her and she [Fonda] was like ‘Just hit me don’t worry about it,’” the singer narrated. “And I was like ‘no, I don’t want to hurt you,’” she added. But Lopez eventually got more comfortable, especially when Fonda encouraged her to “just go for it.”

But during filming, something happened that both actresses did not expect. “She really went for it on one of those slaps,” Lopez revealed. “The scene took on a life of its own in a way that we never imagined. I don’t even think we were supposed to slap each other.”

It was only when the scene ended that Lopez realized the damage she did to Fonda. “I just remember afterwards Jane had a blood blister at the top of her eye — my nail went up into her eye. I was mortified,” the singer shared.

But for Fonda, it’s all in a day’s work. “And she didn’t care, she just a gangster bitch,” Lopez spoke admiringly of her “Monster-In-Law” co-star. “I just love her.”

Lopez also said that doing a romantic comedy with Jane Fonda was a totally unexpected honor. “You know, we’re used to seeing her in these very emotional gritty roles and everything. I didn’t even think she was gonna do this movie,” she said.

While Lopez and Fonda didn’t star in the same movie since then, the two managed to remain pals and are supportive of each other’s careers. When Lopez got her own star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013, it was Fonda who gave a speech for her former co-star. Similarly, it was Lopez who presented the ICON award to Fonda at the 20th Anniversary ICON Awards Gala in 2011.